Stigmochelys pardalis
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape Province. It is the only extant member of the genus Stigmochelys, although in the past, it was commonly placed in Geochelone. This tortoise is a grazing species that favors semiarid, thorny to grassland habitats. In both very hot and very cold weather, it may dwell in abandoned fox, jackal, or aardvark burrows. The leopard tortoise does not dig other than to make nests in which to lay eggs. Given its propensity for grassland habitats, it grazes extensively upon mixed grasses. It also favors succulents and thistles.
The phylogenic placement of the leopard tortoise has been subject to several revisions. More recently, consensus appears to have settled on Stigmochelys, a monotypic genus. Stigmochelys is a combination... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | African Lion Safari | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Haller Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 12 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 13 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Saitama Children's Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 15 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Zoo Gdańsk | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 17 | Suzhou Shangfangshan Forest Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 18 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 23 | Jardim Zoológico de Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 24 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Out of Africa Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 27 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 28 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Colchester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 31 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 33 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 34 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 35 | Tanganyika Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Zacango Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 37 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 39 | Parc de l'Auxois | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 40 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 41 | Austin Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Miskolc Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 43 | Zoo Aquarium de Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 44 | La Palmyre Zoo | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 45 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 46 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 47 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 48 | Fresno Chaffee Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Honolulu Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 50 | Soğanlı Zoo | 🇹🇷 Türkiye |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ruaha National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Leopard Tortoise sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Leopard Tortoise in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June–July and September–November, the lowest months. That is one of Ruaha National Park's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against almost none in June. March and April have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leopard Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 27
Of the 27 parks where we can rate Leopard Tortoise sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 4th at about 50%. The best odds are in Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 80%), uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 70%) and Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Leopard Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ruaha National Park (8 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.
