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Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise
Kinixys belliana
The 'Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise'. A bizarre African living fossil (8 inches) unique in the world: the back of its carapace is broken by a cartilaginous 'hinge' that allows it to close the shell watertight over the tail and hind legs to block hyena bites. A humid savanna tortoise with a partly carnivorous diet (loves crawling snails).
Class:Testudines
Order:Testudines
Family:Testudinidae
Genus:Kinixys
Species:Kinixys belliana
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 85 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Ambient temperature
28 °C
Night temperature
24 °C
Basking spot
32 °C
Adult size
22 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 400 L
UVB
Medium
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Humid savannas, flooded grasslands and hot scrublands of eastern and southern Africa. They prefer grassland edges and open forests where moisture levels are relatively high. They seek microclimates that offer protection from direct desert heat.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Testudinidae (Genus Kinixys). CITES Appendix B. It is the only terrestrial tortoise in the world that uses the hinge on the back (carapace) and not on the belly (plastron like Box Turtles). Almost all specimens on the market are tragic wild caught animals full of parasites and ticks planted in their eyes. They are members of the family Testudinidae, representing a specialized African tortoise branch. Genetic mapping has identified several distinct regional variants.
Behavior and Habits: Timid articulated aliens. In nature they hide all day under rotten logs. They come out only at dawn and dusk with the rain. If threatened, they pull in their head and join the bottom of their back downwards, literally closing themselves in a canine predator-proof hermetic shell. They are known to estivate during the hottest parts of the dry season to conserve water. During this period, they remain buried under dense leaf litter.
Morphology: Fallen egg shape (7-9 inches / 18-22 cm). Washed-out brown or pale yellow shell. The back of the armor is clearly separated by a slit, visible as a deep scar, which as adults becomes mobile. Protruding snout to probe the soft earth. Their hinge develops as they reach maturity, allowing them to close their shell completely. The coloration of the carapace provides excellent natural camouflage.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: MASSIVE HUMID TERRARIUMS (48x24x24h inches). They hate the very strong light of direct sun in mowed lawns. MANDATORY deep hiding places (half dark cork logs) and a thick layer of moss, sphagnum and cypress soil kept constantly humid. They love a large pool to walk in shallow water. Use a deep substrate of cypress mulch or topsoil mixed with peat moss to retain moisture. Provide hollow logs and flat rocks to create shelter.
Lighting and Heating: Mild basking at 89°F (32°C). Tropical warm ambient at 80-82°F (27-28°C). Night 75°F (24°C). UVB 5% radiation diffused forest style. Below 68°F (20°C) they die atrociously. They do not hibernate (They love the African summer dormancy/aestivation in the dark and dry). Provide a thermal gradient to allow the tortoise to select its preferred temperature. A daytime hot spot of 32-35°C (90-95°F) is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: High-Foggy (60-85%). They love artificial warm showers to encourage them to drink and stretch their legs. They use wet mud to cool down. Maintain a damp area in the enclosure by adding moist sphagnum moss inside the hides. Daily spraying helps simulate their natural tropical rain cycles.
Feeding and Supplementation: SNAIL-EATING MONSTERS (Omnivores). African Kinixys are NOT strict herbivores. They eat lethal mushrooms, rotting fruit AND large quantities of snails (with the shell brutally crushed) giant African millipedes and slugs. A lettuce diet will kill them of starvation and malnutrition. Incorporate occasional animal protein like earthworms or snails to match their wild diet. Offer a wide variety of weeds, leafy greens, and mushrooms.
Compatibility: Very docile but hyper-sensitive. Handling not recommended. Males can clash, but the main problem is extreme stress from a poorly structured tank and the ingestion of wrong prey. Keep multiple females with a single male to distribute breeding interest and reduce stress. Avoid housing them with aggressive turtle species.
Health and Common Diseases: Mortality from ruthless importation. Almost all die within 3 months of purchase due to wild parasites and exploded kidneys due to lack of constant humidity in arid tanks created by inexpert owners (They need humidity and earthworms, not desert and hay). Ensure the shell remains clean and dry to prevent shell rot or fungal infections. Conduct regular visual inspections of their eyes and nasal passages.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Humid savannas, flooded grasslands and hot scrublands of eastern and southern Africa. They prefer grassland edges and open forests where moisture levels are relatively high. They seek microclimates that offer protection from direct desert heat.
Origin
Africa and Madagascar
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 22 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 22 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 22 cm for this species, recorded as straight carapace length (SCL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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