Land-living turtles with domed shells and column-like, elephant-like legs. They are slow, placid plant-eaters, and most species can live 80–150 years.
Quick answers
What is it?Reptile
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?Yes
Many sit out the winter: Hermann's tortoises hibernate until late February, desert tortoises lie dormant in burrows.
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Often kept as pets and famously long-lived; Adwaita, said to be Robert Clive's pet, was at least 150.
Do people eat it?In places
Hermann's tortoises are eaten in some Asian countries, and turtles in general are hunted for meat.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatGrassland, Desert, Scrub, Forest
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeMedium
LengthUp to more than 1.2 m (Galápagos giant tortoise)
WeightOver 100 kg (Galápagos and Aldabra giant tortoises)
Legs4
Covered inShell
Lives alone
Lives for80–150 years
Lays eggs
In the wild
- What it eats
- Mostly plants. Young tortoises of herbivorous species also eat worms and insect larvae for protein.
Did you know
Routinely outlives the person who bought it.
An Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita may have lived an estimated 255 years.
Often confused with
- Turtle
All tortoises are turtles, but tortoises are the land specialists, with column-like legs and elephant-like feet instead of flippers.
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