Popular pet · Native to the Sahel of Africa

Sulcata tortoise

Centrochelys sulcata (Miller, 1779)

Also called African spurred tortoise
Data updated October 2026

Large adult sulcata tortoise grazing on grass, showing a broad sandy-brown shell and thick scaly legs
Fig. 1 — Adult grazing. Sulcatas are the largest tortoises on the African mainland.
Close view of a sulcata tortoise's rear leg showing the large conical spurs on the thigh
Fig. 2 — The spurs on the back of the thighs give the species its other name.

At a glance

The largest mainland tortoise, native to the dry Sahel along the southern edge of the Sahara. Many adults pass 100 pounds and they can live 70 years or more, so a palm-sized hatchling grows into a lifelong, backyard-sized commitment.

01

Identification

A very large tortoise with a broad, sandy tan to yellow-brown shell and thick, dry-looking skin. The front legs are armored with heavy overlapping scales, and the back of each thigh carries two or three large, cone-shaped spurs. Males grow much bigger than females and have a forked projection at the front of the lower shell that they use when ramming rivals.

  1. 01Sheer size. Third-largest tortoise in the world, after the Galápagos and Aldabra giants. Adults weighing over 100 pounds are common.
  2. 02Thigh spurs. Large conical spurs on the back of each hind leg.
  3. 03Armored forelegs. Thick, overlapping scales on the front legs, used for digging and as a shield when the tortoise pulls in its head.

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Large male · about 30 in (76 cm) Dashed: typical female · about 20 in

Hatchlings are only about 1.5 to 2 inches (4–5 cm) long. Females usually reach about 20 inches (51 cm) and up to roughly 90 pounds (40 kg). Males grow to about 30 inches (76 cm) and can weigh up to about 200 pounds (90 kg). Growth is fastest in the first 5 to 10 years and varies a lot with diet and care, so size is a poor guide to age.

03

Range & habitat

Dry Sahel grassland with scattered shrubs under a hot sky
Fig. 3 — The Sahel: a hot, dry belt of grassland and scrub south of the Sahara.

Sulcatas are native to the Sahel, the band of dry grassland, savanna and desert edge that runs across Africa between the Sahara and the wetter savannas to the south. Daytime temperatures there can reach 120°F (49°C), and rain falls mostly in one short season.

To escape the heat they dig burrows up to about 10 feet (3 m) deep, where the temperature stays in the 70s°F (low to mid 20s°C). Other animals often move into old tortoise burrows.

04

Diet & predators

Sulcatas are grazing herbivores. In the wild they eat grasses, weeds, flowers and cacti and get much of their water from succulent plants. They have been seen scavenging now and then. They can go weeks without food or water, then drink up to about 15% of their body weight when they find it.

Feeds on

  • Grasses
  • Weeds
  • Flowers
  • Cacti and other succulents

Preyed on by

  • People: trapping for the pet trade
  • People: hunting
  • Habitat loss to farming (main threat, not a predator)
Dry grass seed heads in open grassland
Food — grasses.
Prickly pear cactus pads
Food — cactus pads.

05

Behavior & seasons

Sulcatas are most active around dawn and dusk. They bask in the morning sun to warm up, then shelter in burrows or mud wallows through the hottest part of the day. They may also smear saliva on their forelegs to cool down. A tortoise flipped on its back in the midday heat can die of overheating.

Activity peaks during the rainy season, roughly July to October. Males are strong and pushy: in the breeding season they ram rivals and try to flip them over, and they grunt, croak and whistle loudly while courting.

06

Reproduction

Breeding can happen from June through the following March and is most common after the September to November rains. A female may dig four or five trial nests before she picks one, then lays a clutch of 15 to 30 eggs, about one egg every three minutes. She covers the nest and leaves. The eggs stay underground for about 8 months before hatching. Females mature at about 15 years. Wild tortoises are thought to live 55 to 60 years, and well-kept captive sulcatas 70 years or more.

07

Conservation

Wild sulcata numbers are falling. The main threats are loss of habitat to expanding agriculture, and trapping and hunting for the pet trade. The species is not listed under the US Endangered Species Act; international trade in tortoises is regulated under CITES.

Never release a pet tortoise. Releasing pets puts both the tortoise and native wildlife at risk.

08

In captivity

Sulcatas are sold as tiny hatchlings, but adults need a large, secure outdoor yard in a warm, dry climate. Young tortoises can be raised indoors for their first few years. Outdoor pens need solid walls at least 24 inches high and sunk 12 to 24 inches into the ground, because sulcatas dig and push through see-through fences.

  • Heat. Indoors, about 68–80°F (20–27°C) with a basking spot near 100°F (38°C). Outdoors, give shade in summer and a heated shelter of at least 55–60°F (13–16°C) when nights drop below about 50°F (10°C).
  • Light. UVB lighting indoors, on for 12 to 14 hours a day, with all lights and heat off at night.
  • Food. A lean, high-fiber diet: grasses and grass hay, mulberry, grape and hibiscus leaves and flowers, dark leafy greens such as kale, collards and turnip greens, and cactus pads. Too much protein leads to lumpy, deformed shells. Feed on a flat rock or tray, not loose soil.
  • Water and humidity. A humid hide box, a shallow water dish outdoors, and regular soaks in shallow, warm water (about 15–30 minutes once or twice a week for adults; shorter and more often for babies).

Handle them rarely and gently; constant handling stresses young tortoises. See a reptile vet if your tortoise stops eating, seems lethargic, or has bubbles or discharge from the nose, wheezing or swollen eyes, since respiratory infections are the most common problem in cool, damp setups. Read more in our pet care guides or check a food with our food checker.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages