Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise
Speke's Hinge-back TortoiseSpeke's Hinge-back TortoiseSpeke's Hinge-back TortoiseSpeke's Hinge-back Tortoise

Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise

Kinixys spekii

Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kruger National Park
193 Verified sightings at Kruger National Park From 2019 to 2026
222 Verified sightings across all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise

Speke's hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys spekii), also known commonly as Speke's hingeback tortoise, is a species of turtle in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Africa. The specific name, spekii, is in honor of English explorer John Hanning Speke.

K. spekii has an elongated carapace, up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in straight length, which is distinctly flattened, allowing it to seek refuge in rock crevices and under logs (the co-occurring pancake tortoise is even more flattened). Its carapace has a weak, disrupted medial keel, and posterior marginals that are neither strongly serrated nor reverted. This species has a well-developed hinge at the rear end of the upper part of its shell, permitting the protection of its rear legs after they have been retracted. The male has a notably longer tail than the female of this species, and the tails end in a spine. Females possess a flat plastron, yet males have a more concave one.

Speke's hinge-back tortoise is found in East Africa from Uganda and Kenya south to Eswatini, next to Mozambique and Zululand. Its range extends westwards as far as the coast of Angola. K. spekii... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Kruger National Park

Leopard Tortoise
LC

Leopard Tortoise

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Stigmochelys pardalis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
2 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
3 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
5 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
6 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
7 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
8 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
9 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
10 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
11 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
12 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise in Kruger National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 193 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise in Kruger National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.

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