The wonder reptiles of Hyrax Hill

By Eric Sindabi and Melissa Cheruiyot

The hyrax hill prehistoric museum is by far one of the most attractive natural environments in the country. The site, located in the heart of Nakuru town is also a globally reputed archeological centre. It was here where in the 18th century British settlers discovered Iron Age fossils that prompted to acclaimed archeological works.
At least fossils dating back to 5000 years ago have given information about original communities in Rift Valley of Kenya. The natural habitat that is managed by the The National Museums of Kenya is rich in both animal and plant species.
The land Tortoise
Tortoises the mystic land reptiles are part of the animal collection at hyrax hill pre historic museum .Some three years ago the museum established a Tortoise pit which is currently one of the major attractions at the museum. According to the deputy museum curator Mr. Peter Talam the tortoise breeding project is intended to conserve the wildlife and to provide opportunity to local tourism and research industries.
He says that the animals are collected from the natural environment of the museum and others others donated by locals who collect them from the jungles around the site.
According to reference sources, Tortioses are land dwelling reptiles of family Testudidae and order Testudines.Like sea turtles tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell.
The land Tortoise can be of several varieties including the leopard Tortoise at the hyrax hill.Tortoises mostly lay eggs at night and reproduce by incubation that takes between 60 – 120 days. The female Tortoise digs burrows underground of up to 30 feet before burying about 30 eggs to hatch. The egg is oval and clear in cast measuring about 3cm in size, a fact that has puzzled animal scientists. However recent research hints that the size could depend on a reptiles age or species.
The plastron of a female Tortoise has a noticeable V-shaped notch below the tail to facilitate mating. Another wonder about the reptiles is that during mating males become asthmatic. The notch also facilitates the laying of eggs. Yet some how it puzzles to note that a male Tortoise is smaller in size than a female of same age group.
According to the curator hyrax hill museum is believed to be home of one of the oldest leopard Tortoises in the country. It is estimated that a Tortoise can live to about 150 years. They are rarely prone to predators save for the mighty shell and also these reptiles are vegetarians and feed on a variety of herbs and other vegetation.
Upon incubation lapse, a young Tortoise digs out of underground to start its life on land. During the early days of their lives the young ones feed mainly on soil before later switching to vegetation. However Talam says that young Tortoises are prone to disease and predators and only a handful survive. He says that wild dogs that find their way in the museum compound at night have contributed to the scarcity of animal population at the site including the young Tortoises.
The centre he says plans to expand the Tortoise breeding project to the increasing number of tourists and researchers at the museum. He says the centre in future wills lipase with veterinary officers from the ministry of wildlife to treat young Tortoises and to provide more health information about the reptiles. He however hints that Tortoise farming is not so demanding. He says that the museum spends less than 5000 a months on purchasing green vegetables to feed the reptiles while the natural vegetation subsidizes on food requirements.
Nevertheless, all said and done the hyrax hill pre- historic museum Tortoise pit can provide a visitor with an un-predictable experience of natural environment resources of the animal kingdom.