Tortoise Gets Around With a Wheel for a Leg

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Gamera the Turtle
Gamera the tortoise has been a bionic animal since a surgery in April removed his left front leg. (Image credit: Henry Moore, Jr. BCU/WSU)

A tortoise that had to have its leg amputated is now getting around with the help of an unusual prosthetic: A swiveling caster wheel much like those seen on office chairs.

Gamera, a 12-year-old African spur-thighed tortoise, was relinquished by its owner to Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in April after the 20 pound (9 kilogram) pet severely burned its left front leg. The injury was so life-threatening that veterinarians decided to amputate Gamera's leg at the shoulder.

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Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.