Malacochersus tornieri (Siebenrock 1903) – Pancake Tortoise, Tornier’s Tortoise, Soft-shelled Tortoise, Crevice Tortoise, Kobe Ya Mawe, Kobe Kama Chapati

Abstract

The Pancake Tortoise, Malacochersus tornieri (family Testudinidae), is a small, flat, and soft tortoise of up to about 17.8 cm carapace length, rarely weighing more than 500 g. It has a flat and pliable shell resulting from limited bony shell development with a covering of thin keratinous scutes. The flat shape and shell pliability are fundamental adaptations which have enabled the species to successfully utilize rock crevice microhabitats in East Africa. The species occurs widely but disjunctly in Kenya and Tanzania, and marginally in northern Zambia. It is associated with isolated rocky hills and outcrops (kopjes) within its range, where it hides in crevices between and under exfoliating slabs of pre-Cambrian rock (gneiss). Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 5-9 years, depending on sex and growth rate, and a life span of over 25 years in captivity has been reported. Normally only one egg is laid annually, and rarely two per clutch. The status of M. tornieri populations in the wild indicates that abundance varies from one area to another and appears to be a function of microhabitat quality and level of local exploitation. The listing of the species on CITES Appendix II, while helpful, has also added to human overexploitation abuse, as it stimulated illegal off-take to supply the international live animal trade. In 2000, a proposal to uplist the Pancake Tortoise from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I was unsuccessful, but is again being reconsidered. In Tanzania, a zero export quota for wild-caught animals and restrictions on the size and number of captive-produced juveniles that could be exported were retained. The proposal to uplist the species to CITES Appendix I is strongly recommended. The species is highly vulnerable to extinction by virtue of its restricted distribution, specialized habitat requirements, low densities and fragmented populations, reduced reproductive potential, and overexploitation for the international live animal trade. distribution. -Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia. Occurs disjunctly from north central Kenya southward into the southeastern part of the country. In Tanzania it occurs disjunctly from the southern shores of Lake Victoria into the Maasai Steppe and further south in the Somalia-Masai and the Zambesian Floristic Regions. In Zambia it has only been reported from a single site in northern Nakonde District. synonymy. -Testudo tornieri Siebenrock 1903, Testudo (Malacochersus) tornieri, Malacochersus tornieri, Testudo loveridgii Boulenger 1920. subsPECiEs. -None currently recognized. stAtus.

Homing Behavior, Site Fidelity and Territoriality of the Pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) in Kenya

“…'No trend' in the other stations implied that since there were no translocations out of them, the tortoises initially present remained in the crevices throughout the study period. Considering that reproduction rate in the species is low (Spawls et al 2002;Schmidt 2006;Mwaya et al 2018), and our observations that the few hatchlings/juveniles which are reprod uced always find refuge farther away from the adult tortoise crevices, the tortoise numbers in the short term were unlikely to increase hence the constant number in the crevices over the study duration. Our results ultimately show that the tortoises always abided by their crevices and if displaced returned home alluding to strong site fidelity.…”

Learning from the Wild: Status of the Introduced Pancake Tortoise Malacochersus tornieri Population in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya

“…Research on Tanzanian population showed that males begin to mature at 90–100 mm and females at 130–140 mm carapace length (Moll and Klemens 1996). In captivity, pancake tortoises are known to reach sexual maturity at the age of 5–9 yrs and between 90 and 100 mm, depending on sex and growth rate; a life span of about 25 yrs has been reported (Mwaya et al 2018 and references therein). Some captive facilities have even reported a lifespan of about 40 yrs (Association of Zoos and Aquariums-AZA, Species Survival Plans–SSP programs, www.aza.org).…”

“…Adults are normally less than 20 cm in carapace length with a maximum weight of about 500 g (Moll and Klemens 1996; Malonza 2003). The species is found in scattered rocky hills, outcrops, and kopjes within the Precambrian basement rock system in arid and semiarid areas of south-eastern, central, and northern Kenya (Loveridge 1957; Malonza 2003; Spawls et al 2018), northern, eastern, and central Tanzania (Loveridge 1957; Moll and Klemens 1996; Spawls et al 2018), and northern Zambia (Chansa and Wagner 2006; Mwaya et al 2018; Eustace et al 2021). The major threat to this wild species has been over-collection for the international pet trade (Klemens and Moll 1995; Malonza 2003).…”

“…The species' appearance of having a colorfully patterned carapace and unique behavior of being a good climber-with the ability to rise up once it falls on its back-and fast movement has made it popular in the international pet trade. As a result of the above threats, the species is currently listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and categorized by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered (Mwaya et al 2018(Mwaya et al , 2019Eustace et al 2021).…”

Activity and predation of the threatened pancake tortoise, Malacochersus tornieri

“…Furthermore, observations of pancake tortoises outside of rock crevices are rare because the species prefers to hide inside rock crevices (Klemens & Moll, 1995). Out‐of‐crevice forays appear to be brief, with tortoises moving directly between crevices along easily navigable routes (Moll & Klemens, 1996; Mwaya, 2002; Mwaya et al, 2018). For example, males have been observed visiting females in different crevices (Moll & Klemens, 1996; Mwaya, 2006) seasonally (Malonza, 2003) suggesting that pancake tortoises do move between crevices.…”