I went to the zoo a week ago and there were a lot of funny tortoises. The lemurs in the Madagascar exhibit were, once again, using the radiateds as arm rests by the heat lamps. But my favorite tortoise moment was this:
The monitor's head is about half the size of the tortoise's foot, so I honestly doubt he could do any real damage.
This has got to be a temporary setup anyway because the normal habitat for the redfoot was "under construction" and the info plaque for the tortoise was still on that habitat and no where to be found in the habitat he was actually in.
That's an adult argentine tegu. Their mouth is large enough to swallow a large adult rat. They are more than strong enough to remove and eat the head or limbs of that tortoise, if they feel like it.
... At least the two animals are found on the same continent.
I just googled argentine tegu and I'm not sure that's what he is... he was about half the size of the adult ones in the pictures and his neck was really long and skinny, as was his head.
You probably saw a pic of a large impressive male with the big jowls. Sound right. Females have a more narrow head that seems to fit their body a little better.
I was thinking tegu as well and even if it was a monitor ive seen them rip a jumbo rat in half. Not to mention lizards will whip there tail as a defense mechanism and that could serious wound a tortoise if it got them in the face/eye. :/
Sad that they were put in the situation to have to share.