Spider tortoise
Pyxis arachnoides
In the Zoo
Across from Mandrills
Fascinating Facts
Spider tortoises are endemic to Madagascar, which means they are found nowhere else on earth. They are the smallest of the Malagasy tortoise species and there are three recognized subspecies.
Physical Characteristics
Spider tortoises can grow up to 7 inches in length, but the average female is 5 inches and the average male is 4.5 inches in length. They have a dark brown or black shell with a yellow web-like pattern, giving them the name spider tortoise. The body is dark with yellow spots and the plastron, or lower shell, is semi-hinged so that spider tortoises are able to retract their head and front legs inside their shell when threatened.
Diet
They eat young leaves, roots, insects and have been observed eating cow dung to eat the insect larvae present.
Habitat
Spider tortoises live in the arid and semi-arid scrublands and spiny forests of coastal Madagascar.
Range
They are found in southwestern Madagascar https://www.iucnredlist.org/
Social Behavior
Spider tortoises mate during the wet season. They will lay one egg that will take 220 – 250 days to incubate. During the dry season they can burrow in the sand and “aestivate”, which is a dormant period similar to hibernation. They are most active during the rainy season and prefer to stay under the cover of vegetation. Spider tortoises can live up to 70 years.
Status in the Wild
IUCN – Critically Endangered
Other:
Spider tortoises are threatened by habitat loss, collection for the pet trade, and being hunted for food. They are a CITES Appendix I animal and are illegal to trade internationally.