Geochelone pardalis- leopard tortoise Origin: Africa
Currently, this is one of the most widely available tortoise species. There are two possible subspecies (this is a matter of debate). While they can be differentiated relatively easily when they are younger, it becomes more difficult as they get older. The yearling tortoises on the left above show the two different subspecies: the animal on the far left is from the subspecies babcocki whereas the one on the right in the left picture is from the subspecies pardalis (notice the spots in the scutes of the pardalis subspecies). The animal in the picture on the right is of a juvenile babcocki (these animals are currently being imported into the United States by the hundreds to thousands thus decimating local populations in Africa). Recent bans on the importation of African tortoise species due to ticks have now been modified so that the animals can be imported with a veterinary certificate of inspection for ectoparasites including ticks.
This species in my experience is relatively reclusive in terms of the wild caught larger specimens whereas the captive bred hatchlings are personable. Other items of note are that whereas some leopards (primarily babcocki from what I've seen) may grow to be a little over a foot in length and around 15-30 pounds in weight, I've seen an adult pardalis that was pushing 100 pounds! Another item of note is that if you do own one of the wild caught specimens of this species, it is best not to keep the animal outside in hot and highly humid weather- they are known to develop severe respiratory difficulties from a climate they would not typically be subjected to (always try to replicate the native habitats of any species of reptile for best results). It appears that while captive bred hatchlings are able to adapt to a wide variety of conditions, animals that have grown up in a certain setting (aka. Africa) have set requirements and are not as able to adapt to changes.
Diet: High fiber foods such as grass hays and weeds are best. These animals would normally eat scrub in the wild and overdoing the nutritive value while underfeeding fiber can lead to severe pyramiding problems to the shell. Various greens can be used in moderation along with various vegetables and only occasional fruit as a treat.
Links to further information on G. pardalis:
husbandry article: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/cpardalis.html
husbandry article: http://gto.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pingleto/herps/CASH/leopard.html
husbandry article/picture: http://www.tortoise.org/archives/pardalis.html
pictures: http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/8188/Leopard.htm