Predation on the tent tortoise Psammobates tentorius: A whodunit with the honey badger Mellivora capensis as prime suspect

Abstract

The collection of 63 shells of the tent tortoise Psammobates tentorius in the Bushmanland Nama Karoo revealed that 49% of them had been cleanly broken open and the body of the tortoise removed. The line of the single break of the plastron approximated the humeral-pectoral joint of the overlying shields. The lack of tooth or other damage to the shells suggests that the break was effected by forcibly pulling back the anterior, projecting section of the plastron. The observation of the spoor of the honey badger Mellivora capensis at one such freshly killed tortoise suggests that it is the principal predator responsible for killing tortoises using this method.