Pancake tortoise
Malacochersus tornieri
![Pancake tortoise looking directly at camera from under a rock IMAGE: Allie McGregor 2024](https://images.rzss.org.uk/media/Edinburgh_Zoo/EZ_animals/Pancake_tortoise/pancake tortoise.jpg)
We are currently home to three pancake tortoises.
Population
![decreasing_population_icon](https://images.rzss.org.uk/media/Edinburgh_Zoo/EZ_site_images/Icons/decreasing.png)
Decreasing
Diet
![herbivore_diet_icon](https://images.rzss.org.uk/media/Edinburgh_Zoo/EZ_site_images/Icons/herbivore.png)
Herbivore
Habitat
![grasslands_habitat_icon](https://images.rzss.org.uk/media/Edinburgh_Zoo/EZ_site_images/Icons/grasslands.png)
Grasslands
Fact file
Pancake tortoise are unique in shape compared to other tortoises. Their shell is unusually thin, flat, and flexible, helping make them the fastest tortoise species. This shell allows them to flee and squeeze into narrow rock crevices in times of danger
Females of the species lay one egg up to four times in a year and the baby tortoises are independent as soon as they hatch meaning they do not receive any parental care
![Pancake tortoise looking to the right IMAGE: Allie McGregor 2024](https://images.rzss.org.uk/media/Edinburgh_Zoo/EZ_animals/Pancake_tortoise/pancake tortoise (2).jpg)
How we're helping
Like all the animals in our care our pancake tortoises are amazing ambassadors for their relatives in the wild and help hundreds of thousands of people connect with nature every year. They encourage visitors to learn about the threats facing wildlife and the action they can take to help create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
As a wildlife conservation charity, we care for the animals here at the zoo and work to protect species at risk around the world. From providing expertise in genetics and veterinary health, to protecting wild places with local conservation partners, and even restoring threatened species to the wild, we are active where we are needed most.
Find out more about?RZSS conservation