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Three pancake tortoises with flat brown shells resting among rocks and straw.
Photo: Dave Pape, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pancake Tortoise

Malacochersus tornieri

A critically endangered East African tortoise with a thin, flat, flexible shell that hides in rock cracks instead of in its shell.

🐢 Turtles and Tortoises
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About the Pancake Tortoise

Pancake tortoises live on rocky hills called kopjes in dry thorn scrub and savanna in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Their thin, flat shell doesn't offer much protection, so they rely on speed and flexibility instead, slipping into rock crevices to hide. They eat dry grasses and other plants, including succulents, plus seeds and nuts.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Malacochersus tornieri[1]
Size
About 7 inches (17.8 cm) long.[1]
Lifespan
More than 30 years.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Dry grasses and plants, including succulents, plus seeds and nuts.[1]
Habitat
Rocky hills (kopjes) in dry thorn scrub and savanna.[1]
Where it lives
Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.[1]
Group life
Usually alone, though pairs or small groups may share a crevice.[1]
Babies
One egg at a time, which takes four to six months to hatch.[1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • A pancake tortoise's shell is thin, flat and flexible.[1]
  • Instead of hiding in its shell, it squeezes into cracks between rocks.[1]
  • A female lays only one egg at a time.[1]

Vocabulary

tortoise
A turtle that lives on land.
crevice
A narrow crack or opening in rock.
kopje
A small, rocky hill rising from flat land in Africa.
succulent
A plant with thick, juicy leaves that store water, like aloe.
critically endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “African pancake tortoise.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/african-pancake-tortoise (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Malacochersus tornieri (Pancake Tortoise).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12696/508210 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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