that bridge looks like one i dealt with when there... where is this located?
Laura said:that bridge looks like one i dealt with when there... where is this located?
HLogic said:OK, so my original guess was based on a location in western SA. I don't know why I made that assumption...maybe in hopes of it being one of the more unusual (Homopus, Chersina or Psammobates) species.
The updated version is now northeastern SA and the critter in question is a Speke's Hingeback (Kinixys spekii) or possibly Lobatse Hingeback (K. lobatsiana) - assuming you are in the Mokopane area or parts north of an east-west line through Mokopane. The Lobatse range is almost entirely overlapped by the Speke's and distinguishing between the two is difficult.
If you are closer to Mozambique, it could be a Natal Hingeback (K. natalensis). These have a distinctive symmetrical plastral pattern consisting of 'bulls-eye' rings on the scutes and a longitudinal band with transverse branches along the seams of the plastral scutes.
If you could ship me a dozen of them, I could ID it with certainty!
In the meantime, I'm sticking with Speke's.