Malachochersus tornieri- Pancake tortoise Origin: Africa
Flat and fast describe this bizarre tortoise species. The females generally lay one egg per clutch but there are reports of them laying up to two and having multiple clutches during the year (update: 1-00, my female laid 2 eggs with 2 days in between). There is at least one report of an egg being layed on the surface of a rock in an African kopje rather than ovipositing the egg underground! These animals are incredible escape artists and have been known to dig and climb their way to freedom in many a collection.
My "fondest" escape memory of this species is coming home from work late one day and finding them missing from their pen. After a quick scan around the backyard, I decided to try "thinking like the tortoise" and headed for my wood pile (an American version of the African kopje). Sure enough, within a few minutes I found two contented tortoises staring back out at me from amidst the logs. One of the animals was a good 3 feet off of the ground!
My indoor setup for the species is such that they have a multitude of places to hide in 2 small rock (slate) outcroppings. Both animals prefer to be wedged underneath these rocks when they are not out eating. If you keep them outdoors, not only should you be sure that their enclosure is escape proof (would recommend a wire base and wire top) but also that they have protection from native predators such as raccoons or feral cats.
Links to further information on M. tornieri:
husbandry article: http://www.tortoise.org/archives/malaco.html
husbandry article: http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/pancake.html
husbandry article: http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/pancake2.html
basic info: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/african_pancake_tortoise.htm
general info: http://www.phillyzoo.org/pz0026.htm
Latin name derivative: http://www.tortoise.org/archives/malaname.html
picture: http://www.oocities.org/Pipeline/Valley/7856/pancaketorto.html