Rocky outcroppings with their many nooks, crannies and crevices
provide protection for a number of species of animals. One
tortoise, the Pancake tortoise, has evolved to take advantage of
this cover. Unlike most tortoises, Pancakes do not possess domed
shells. Instead, they have flat carapaces. Although they can
reach a length of approximately seven inches, they rarely exceed
an inch to an inch and a half in height. With this flat,
pancake-like profile, Malacochersus tornieri is able to fit into
narrow crevices and cracks in its rocky home, and thus exploit
an environment that no other tortoise is capable of using. The
shell of a Pancake tortoise is very flexible and can be bent and
depressed with only mild pressure. This pliability lets the
tortoise squeeze into very tight openings. The bones that
underlie most tortoises' shells are solid, with very little
space between the individual bones. However, in the Pancake
tortoise these bones have many openings, or fenestrations, in
them, which gives the shell its