PANCAKE TORTOISE: KENYA'S RACE TO SAVE RARE FAST SPECIES. (PHOTO).

 Pancake tortoise: Kenya's race to save rare fast species

The pancake tortoise is found mostly in Kenya and Tanzania. But the rare animal is sought-after around the world especially for exotic pets.

As slow as a tortoise' maybe a popular simile. However, a unique species of tortoise, different in behaviour and physical appearance, challenges this age-old phrase.

Pancake tortoise, named after its flat shell, is fast and flexible.

The animal is found more in East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania than in most places around the world. It is the fastest of the tortoises - thanks to its unusually thin shell.

With a perforated shell, this tortoise is lightweight and agile, a feature that enables it to flee for its dear life when confronted by a predator.

On the other hand, their round-backed cousins, unable to flee, usually go under the cover of their thick shells whenever they sense danger.

The flexible shell of the pancake tortoise allows it to crawl into narrow rock crevices, a habitat that cannot accommodate other tortoises.

These peculiar adaptations and physical features make the pancake tortoise a coveted commodity in exotic pet illegal trade, and now teeters on the brink of extinction.