Kinixys erosa
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The forest hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys erosa), also known commonly as the serrated hinge-back tortoise or Schweigger's tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is indigenous to the tropical forests and marshes of central and western Africa.
The forest hinge-back tortoise is indigenous to the tropical rainforests of Sub-Saharan Africa. Here it is often found in marshes and river banks, where it spends much of its time buried under roots and logs. Its natural range extends from northern Angola, throughout the Congo Basin, as far east as the shores of Lake Victoria, and throughout the West African forests as far as Senegal.
Specifically, it is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, possibly Benin, possibly Guinea-Bissau, and possibly Togo.
K. erosa can arch its back 90 degrees downwards to protect its tail and hind legs while sleeping and to protect itself from predators. It is an excellent swimmer and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eroded Hingeback Tortoise sighting in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eroded Hingeback Tortoise in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, May–July and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Odzala-Kokoua National Park's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain against 240 mm in October.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eroded Hingeback Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Odzala-Kokoua National Park, in our data
Odzala-Kokoua National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eroded Hingeback Tortoise sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eroded Hingeback Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
