Same subject
Endangered savannah and desert animals
Title
The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), also called the sulcata tortoise
Caption
The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise, which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa. It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world, the largest species of mainland tortoise, and the only species in the genus Centrochelys.
The African spurred tortoise is native to the Sahara Desert and the Sahel, a transitional ecoregion of semiarid grasslands, savannas, and thorn shrublands found in the countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan In these arid regions, the tortoise excavates burrows in the ground to get to areas with higher moisture levels, and spends the hottest part of the day in these burrows. This is known as aestivation. Burrows may average 30 inches in depth; some dig tunnel systems extending 10 feet or more underground.
Info+
Photographe : Cayman
Date
Sep 11, 2015
Credit line
Photo12/Alamy/Cayman
Reference
LMY22T01_FDWTJ2
Usage
only for France
Model release
No
Property release
No
License type
Rights managed
Available size
30,5Mb (1,9Mb) / 13,3in x 8,9in / 4000 x 2667 (300dpi)