No Pet of Mine

I am sometimes flabbergasted by the unique finds along our evening walking routes. Last month I posted the white deer I had spotted close to home, and not too long after that we walked by an empty lot with eight, yes, eight very large tortoises. I had not brought my camera, so some days later I went back and three of them were already gone; sold as pets, I presume.

I know as much, if not less, about turtles and tortoises than I know about flowers, so please, no hard questions; although if I provide misinformation, do tell. I can't even say for sure that these are not turtles, possibly a more generic category of the shelled reptile, but usually the term refers to those living in and around water. They definitely are tortoises, the land-dwelling chelonian cousin.

Manila, 2010

My cursory research tells me these may be spurred tortoises aka sulcata tortoises, originally from the grasslands and woody scrub lands at the edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa. They can grow up to 76 cm/30 in, weigh up to 50 kgs/110 lbs, and live up to 100 years or more. You can get a closer look at these amazing creatures by clicking on the montage, and then again.

Let's just say one of these will not become a pet of mine. 

But they were interesting to learn about and I am posting them for Camera Critters (albeit a bit late to that party), Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday.