About Kinixys spekii Gray, 1863
Kinixys spekii, commonly called Speke's hinge-back tortoise, has an elongated, distinctly flattened carapace that reaches up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in straight length. This flattened shape lets the tortoise seek refuge in rock crevices and under logs; the co-occurring pancake tortoise has an even flatter shell. The carapace has a weak, broken medial keel, and its posterior marginal scutes are neither strongly serrated nor turned backward. This species has a well-developed hinge at the back end of the upper shell, which lets it protect its retracted rear legs. Males of this species have a notably longer tail than females, and the tails of both sexes end in a spine. Females have a flat plastron, while males have a more concave plastron. Speke's hinge-back tortoise is found in East Africa, ranging from Uganda and Kenya south to Eswatini, adjacent to Mozambique and Zululand. Its range extends west as far as the coast of Angola. K. spekii lives in savannahs and dry bushlands with rocky areas. It tends to occupy more wooded areas during the dry season, and moves out into open savannahs when summer rains arrive. Female K. spekii lay small clutches of two to four eggs in the summer.
