Tortoises - the mating game

We witnessed two males fighting each other. How it works is that the tallest tortoise wins. So they both stand up as high as they can, stretching their necks and hissing at each other. It took about 30 seconds as it requires a huge effort for the tortoises. The reason the tallest one wins is that it must be superior as it can reach more foilage higher in the trees so must have an evolutionary advantage. Dave took an award winning photo shot.




The male tortoise is 3 times the size as the female so mating is interesting. Looks uncomfortable for her. The male shell is intented so that he can balance better. Surprisingly she tossed him off by destabilising him. All I can say is that the males make an unearthly sounds whilst in progress.