The South African Leopard Tortoise is a large, attractive tortoise found in South Africa. Leopard Tortoises exist in two subspecies, Geochelone pardalis pardalis is the South African Leopard Tortoise, and Geochelone pardalis babcocki is the common Leopard Tortoise. While not very common in captivity, the South African Leopard Tortoise is rapidly gaining in popularity, as it is bred more frequently.In the wild, the South African Leopard Tortoise dwells in fairly dry regions that are either thorny or grassy. They do not often live in regions where there is a great deal of precipitation, although some Leopard Tortoises have been found in rainier areas. In both very hot and very cold weather they may dwell in abandoned fox, jackal, or anteater holes. Leopard Tortoises do not dig other than to make nests in which to lay eggs. It grazes on grass for most of the day. South African Leopard Tortoises also eat prickly pear pads and other succulents and their fruit. South African Leopard Tortoises are very intelligent, curious tortoises.

The fourth largest tortoise found in the world today, the South African Leopard Tortoise can reach up to 23 inches in carapace length. Male South African Leopard Tortoises usually get larger than females. The Leopard Tortoise's shell is usually marked with dark blotches and pale areas, either very large and separated or closer together. Geochelone pardalis babcocki, the variety of Leopard Tortoise most often found in captivity, has a rounded and highly domed carapace, while the South African Leopard, Geochelone pardalis pardalis, has a less domed and more elongated shell. South African Leopard Tortoises also typically have "freckling", tiny irregular spots, on their skin. Freckling is most evident on hatchlings and younger individuals and often fades as the animal ages. Hatchling South African Leopard Tortoises will often show a pattern that is commonly called "twin-spotting" - two spots within one or more carapace scutes. These spots fade as the tortoise grows and ages. The degree of twin-spotting differs among individuals and Some South African Leopard Tortoises do not have any twin-spots. Even within a single clutch some may exhibit twin-spotting, while others do not.South African Leopard Tortoises can only be found in parts of Cape Province and the south-western Orange Free State in South Africa. In some areas their ranges do intersect with the other Leopard Tortoise species, G. p. babcocki, and there is some interbreeding between the two.

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