Stigmochelys

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
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
Stigmochelys pardalis (Bell, 1828) †Stigmochelys brachygularis Meylan and Auffenberg, 1987 †Stigmochelys crassa Andrews, 1914

References

1. Stigmochelys at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 1 February 2022.
2. 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.
3. 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.