Picture of a young lion eating a leopard tortoise

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Some amazing pictures of lions eating leopard tortoises
http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/?p=1154

Also, just thought I'd throw this one in, too:

 

[Fernando]

Whoa! I've never seen inside of a tortoise before. He's got some tuff jaws!

 

[Laura]

whoa... i wonder if it was roadkill that she took advantage of..

 

[Jacob]

These Are Crazy Pictures!

 

[terryo]

Ahh...nature.

 

[tczar]

sad but true these lifes of ours!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Yes, life has both sorrow and joy in it, but I just posted these pix so people will see what kinds of predators leopard tortoises face in their native habitat. They have to survive in the presence of lions and crocodiles, and yet they are still around. Pretty impressive! Their shells are only part of their defense, though. Just as important is their ability to hide and avoid getting attacked in the first place.

Actually, even more dangerous than lions and crocodiles are people, because we can find tortoises where they hide and do with them what we will, whether that means letting them go again, capturing them as pets, or eating them on the half shell. Tortoises are literally at our mercy, and always have been.

 

[dmarcus]

Unforgiving nature at it's best..

 

[October]

I've seen a few videos of lions messing with torts. All the ones I've seen have involved older torts and younger lions. They seem to lose interest quickly. I guess if you get hungry enough though...

 

[gmayor]

that is so sad

 

[Neal]

These pictures are interesting. Even as a leopard tortoise fan, I still appreciate the raw nature in these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Notice the pyramiding in the 5th picture. Even wild tortoises pyramid.

---

Actually, even more dangerous than lions and crocodiles are people, because we can find tortoises where they hide and do with them what we will, whether that means letting them go again, capturing them as pets, or eating them on the half shell. Tortoises are literally at our mercy, and always have been.

Probably even more than humans (though humans are responsible for them being there) is the livestock that eat all the tortoise food. I think goats are the main culprit.

 

[Mao Senpai]

The itch of curiousity made me find this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQtkUcopEI

 

[dmmj]

Interesting
I had read an article in reptiles magazine about 15 years or so ago, about how researchers had killed huge python in Africa and inside they found three leopard tortoise shells.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

The itch of curiousity made me find this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQtkUcopEI

That's really interesting!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQtkUcopEI[/youtube]

Here's a couple more good ones. In that last video, notice the gaping hole the lion makes in the tortoise's shell. The narrator says he's seen tortoises recover, but I think this injury is too great. You can see the internal organs inside. She'll probably die.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTn2MZTu_3k&NR=1&feature=fvwp[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9StzQ0cfEs[/youtube]

It seems like it's mostly young lions going after these tortoises. I think that's because they're still curious and playful, or they have not yet learned how difficult it is to crack one of these things open. Or else, maybe they are hungry and since they can't hunt antelope, zebra, or buffalo yet, they are going after small prey like this.

 

[Mao Senpai]

The itch of curiousity made me find this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQtkUcopEI

That's really interesting!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQtkUcopEI[/youtube]

Here's a couple more good ones. In that last video, notice the gaping hole the lion makes in the tortoise's shell. The narrator says he's seen tortoises recover, but I think this injury is too great. You can see the internal organs inside. She'll probably die.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTn2MZTu_3k&NR=1&feature=fvwp[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9StzQ0cfEs[/youtube]

It seems like it's mostly young lions going after these tortoises. I think that's because they're still curious and playful, or they have not yet learned how difficult it is to crack one of these things open. Or else, maybe they are hungry and since they can't hunt antelope, zebra, or buffalo yet, they are going after small prey like this.

Yikes.. that is one huge hole... I don't know how it would recover either, since so many things can happen in nature at that point... infections, dehydration.. ugh

 

[evlinLoutries]

OMG!

idk what to say, but these are criminal picts..

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

OMG!

idk what to say, but these are criminal picts..

Why do you consider them criminal? It shows what leopard tortoises have to deal with in their native habitat.

 

[Neal]

idk what to say, but these are criminal picts..

I wonder how the lion and crocodile forums would respond to these pictures.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I wonder how the lion and crocodile forums would respond to these pictures.

I'm on one of them, so I'll let you know.

 

[TylerStewart]

Looks like a bunch of female leopards, too. You know how much steak could be bought from the value of them, instead of the bite or two that comes from a tortoise?