Their unusual size and appearance makes them very desirable pets. The biggest threat to the survival of the pancake tortoise in the wild is the pet trade.

The pancake tortoise may at times appear to be stuck in a gap or crevice in the rock – don’t worry, it’s not! The shell is very soft and flexible so that it yields under pressure, enabling it to squeeze into crevices at times of danger, it is for this reason that it is sometimes also known as the crevice tortoise