Leopard tortoise hatched at Denver Zoo
Rocky Mountain News
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A leopard tortoise, incubated for 140 days, cracked its way into the world Nov. 1, looking about the size of a walnut, the Denver Zoo reported today.
Small to start, these tortoises grow quickly to become 16 to 18 inches long and weighing up to 50 pounds, the Zoo related in a press release.
Leopard tortoises are native to Southern Africa and are known for their beautiful black and yellow, leopard-like shell pattern.
Female tortoises lay a clutch of between 5-30 eggs that they cover with dirt. Hatchlings wait several weeks for rain to soften the ground before using their egg tooth to break their shell and burrowing to the surface. Once they emerge from the nest, the young tortoises are easy prey for monitor lizards, storks, crows and small mammals.
The new arrival brings Denver Zoos leopard tortoise family up to a total of five.
The new arrival can be seen in the nursery of Tropical
Discovery.
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