7 Cool Facts about Sulcata Tortoise | Pet Reptiles

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Let other people have cats and dogs! Jungle Bob is here to show you that owning a pet reptile or amphibian is not as crazy as you might think. In this video, he tells you seven cool facts about Sulcata tortoises, also known as African spurred tortoises and African spur thigh tortoises.

The African Spur Thigh Tortoise, or the Sulcata tortoise as it's also known, is one of the largest tortoise species on the planet. These are long-lived creatures. Tortoises, of course, are different from turtles. Tortoises you'll find on land. Look at those big diggers he's got in the front there. He digs tremendously large holes in his native Saharan habitat. He comes from the southern rim of the Saharan desert in Africa. And he is the third largest tortoise species on the planet. Very, very important creature in the environment that he lives.

You could imagine that type of, not the Saharan desert where you see the big sand dunes, this is the scrub vegetation area, where there's not much but haze and grasses and cactus. And it gets hot, as you can imagine, in the middle of the summer, 120, 140, not unusual.

So, the Sulcata tortoise has developed a method of survival. You know we've learned that creatures that come out at night are nocturnal. Creatures that come out during the day are diurnal. But a new word for your vocabulary is corpuscular. This guy comes out when the temperature's right. He comes out during the dawn hours and during the dusk hours. And the rest of the time at night and during the day, he stays in a burrow that he digs with those amazing claws.

You won't see turtles with claws like that, because turtles are predominantly water animals. But tortoises live in the forests of the rain forest and woodlands and in deserts. So, in the desert habitat he comes from, he is extremely important because, number one, he's one of the few animals that has the capacity to dig those big holes. And what lives in those burrows? Everything else that lives in the desert. They can't get out of the heat so they use the tortoise's burrows. They work together and they live in the bottom of these burrows, or along the passageways to the bottom and some of them get 50, 60 feet.

What happens at the bottom? The temperature is perfectly suited for them. It's going to be 60, 70 degrees at the bottom of those burrows, even though it's 120 at the top. And the tortoise spends the hot days and the cold nights in that burrow.

But, more importantly than that, this guy lives for 150 or more years in that really terrible environment of the Sahara desert. It's all nothing but cactus and grass and things like that. So, how does he do it? He's a straight herbivore. How does he make his food? Where does he get it from? Well, we all know the story about the tortoise and the hare that slow and steady wins the race. And the Sulcata tortoise certainly is one of those types.

He nibbles on his food. He chews a little bit of this, a little bit of that. He eats it and then he walks tremendous distances in the course of the day. And if you ever kept one in captivity, you know an animal that eats grass and hay and cactus goes to the bathroom quite a lot. He poops like you can't believe. And what he does in the desert is eat the whole plant.

The plant goes through his digestive system that comes out now in manure. And that manure's got moisture to it. And the seeds can germinate after they go through his digestive system. And the animal literally makes a garden around the burrow that he lives.

It is so perfect of an ecosystem that when the tortoise moves out of that system, everything else collapses and the system dies off. What's happening in that area of the world? Of course, people are eating tortoises. People are collecting tortoises for the pet trade and, little by little, tortoises like this are disappearing from the wild. So, we have to really do something about that because this is one of nature's treasures, for sure. The Sulcata or African Spur thigh Tortoise. what other animal can live 150 years in a climate like that? Do a good job, boy.
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I got one 10 years ago fresh from the egg. Now he's a 100 pound beast dominating my backyard!!! Love that guy!!

brocklee
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THAT explains the existence of the myth that the world is a tortise. Tortises really do make their own "worlds" in their habitats. Pretty cool!

rowanphillips
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This morning I found 9 in my yard! I live in Tucson, AZ. All are hatchlings. Just made a nice home for all of them, Im so happy rn they're so cool.

lizardleg
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We had one since the early 80’s. I moved away and my mother gave her to my sister. She dug up the garden and foundation under a guesthouse. She is still alive and very social. Used to sunbathe with me and lay next to my towel. Ate fruit and loved strawberries

Pureimagination
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I can't stop laughing over the tortoise continuing to walk in mid air

kelvinrodriguezjr
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What a coincidence! ! I also come out when the temperature is right

EvesInParadise
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The Sulcata is an amazingly intelligent and beautiful animal.  If you have one, you'll have a pet that will most likely out live you.  Do all you can to provide him with a good home including future guardians.

antaress
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I own a sulcata but she was captive bred. Best pet ever! :)

grettagrids
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The tortoise looks like he's saying, "put me DOWN!" LOL!

Saintnix
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Do NOt buy these if you can't provide the care it needs for it's lifetime. My grandfather bought one and kept it in a meter wide metal container where he could barely turn. We inherited him and now he lives in our half acre back yard. He's very big and runs at you fast when he's mad. We love him he's great

carbonatedfizzy
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Damn, they build their own homes, technically make their own gardens, house other animals that are looking to escape the heat. They are completely independent and are friendly.

dmeads
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I would love to pass this on until my grand children (don't have any yet) so they can share the love Ihave for animals 😊

miskyx
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I am so gonna get one of these. My rottie of 8 yrs just died and I'm devastated! I don't think I can handle another grief such as the death of a fur baby, sooo...since I love tortoise too, it's what I'l be having next. I just can't live without a pet. Life's boring and dull w/o them.

chryssesandchaos
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I want one so bad. I already have a tortoise. I hear these tortoises make good pets!

NolanBernicky
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Howcast has been here since the dawn of time....and I love it

zamaurijones
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My neighbor has one and she is around 12-15 years and she's huge

elicarrillo
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He's like "walking along walking al- wait HEY PUT ME DOWN (intense music starts playing and the Tortoise goes into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE) GOTTA GO FEST)

jaygnome
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I feel special for having this tortoise.

RoseMary
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He forgot to mention that when they shake their legs aggressively, that means that they want to be put the hell down and left the hell alone.

ohmyadc
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Mine is just a few months hold, but exhibits so much personality already.

MLamar