Stigmochelys is a genus of tortoise endemic to Africa. Stigmochelys pardalis, the leopard tortoise, is the only extant species.[1] Leopard tortoises were once placed in the genus Geochelone along with many other large tortoises.[2] Two fossil species are known:
- †Stigmochelys brachygularis Laetoli beds, Tanzania, Pliocene carapace length 40–50 centimetres (1.3–1.6 ft).[3]
- †Stigmochelys crassa Kenya, Miocene-Pliocene carpace length >70 centimetres (2.3 ft)[3]
| Stigmochelys Temporal range: Pliocene–recent
| |
|---|---|
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| Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Testudinidae |
| Genus: | Stigmochelys Gray, 1873 |
| Species | |
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References
edit- ^ Stigmochelys at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 1 February 2022.
- ^ Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2014). "Turtles of the world, 7th edition: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution with maps, and conservation status" (PDF). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs. Vol. 5. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. pp. 329–479. doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014. ISBN 978-0965354097.
- ^ a b Georgalis, Georgios L.; Macaluso, Loredana; Delfino, Massimo (2021-04-02). "A Review of the Fossil Record of Afro-Arabian Turtles of the Clade Testudinoidea" (PDF). Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 62 (1). doi:10.3374/014.062.0103. ISSN 0079-032X.