- Taxonomy: Class: Reptilia / Subclass: Anapsida / Order: Testudines / Suborder: Cryptodira / Family: Testudinidae / Genus: Stigmochelys / Specie: Stigmochelys pardalis
Leopard tortoise is the only representative of the genus Stigmochelys.

- Subspecies:
Stigmochelys pardalis is divided into two subspecies: Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis (Western leopard tortoise) and Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki (Eastern leopard tortoise).
There is a geographic form: the giant leopard tortoise, from Ethiopia and Somalia. Some people named this form Stigmochelys pardalis somalica, but this subspecies is not accepted by the scientific community. 

- Length: 65 - 70 cm ( 25 - 27,5 inches)

- Distribution:
Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis: South Africa, south of Namibia and Lesotho.
Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, east and north of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola.

- Feeding:
Their captive diet may include: grass, escarole, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, carrots, opuntia cactus, cabbage, cornsalad (Valerianela sp.), Diplotaxis sp., Sonchus sp., watercress, dandelion, Plantago sp. , ...

- Husbandry:
Leopard tortoises need high temperatures all year round. You can keep these tortoises in outdoor enclosures only during warm months. The outdoor enclosure should be as big as possible, and it is necessary to place it in a sunny and dry area, with grasses and trunks where to hide.
Indoor enclosures are ideal to keep this species during the coldest months of the year. A terrarium of big dimensions will be needed. A substrate based on humus, barks and sand, and a small container with water. We will have to put also some plants and caves where to hide.
The diurnal temperature must to be around 32ºC at the hottest point and of 22 ºC at the far end.
At night, an approximate temperature of 22ºC is recommended.

- Incubation:
The incubator must be set between 28 and 30 ºC, and the humidity at around 80 %. Incubation takes around 140 to 180 days. The newly born hachtlings measure between 4 and 5 cm.

- Legislation:
This species is included in the annexes II of CITES.

- Photo gallery:
 

Copulation (Photo: Antonio Alcalá-Zamora)	Egg-laying (Photo: Antonio Alcalá-Zamora)
Hatchlings S.p. babcocki (Photo: Antonio Alcalá-Zamora)	The first specimen has just been born   (Photo: Antonio Alacalá-Zamora)
Adult specimen	See the clear difference between the leopard tortoise and the two big specimens of Centrochelys sulcata
Hatchling (Photo: Antonio Alacalá-Zamora)	Plastron (Photo: Unai2)
Juvenile of S.p. babcocki feeding (Photo: Antonio Alacalá-Zamora)	Probably the juveniles of this species are among the nicest tortoises (Photo: Antonio Alacalá-Zamora)
Juvenile (Photo: IIWarII)	Adult
Head	Juvenile in a terrarium with a great decoration
(Photo: Sandra Camps)	(Photo: Natus)
Copulation (Photo: Boettgeri)	Copulation (Photo: Boettgeri)
Curious photo of several big specimens from Ethiopia  (Photo: Boettgeri)	There exists a not accepted subspecies called Stigmochelys pardalis somalica that can reach sizes much superior to other subspecies (Photo: Boettgeri)
Giant Leopard Tortoise (Photo: ftolo)	Giant Leopard Tortoise (Photo: ftolo)