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Fast Facts:

Red footed Tortoise

Scientific Name	Geochelone carbonaria
Classification	Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Testudines, Suborder Cryptodira, Family Testudinidae
Status	Stable. However, if current degradation of the forests of South America continues, the red-footed population will begin to suffer greatly.
Range	Native range is South America. They also have been introduced on some Caribbean islands.
Habitat	Moist savannas and forests
Diet	Omnivorous, preferring fruits and seed-type vegetables over grasses and leafy foliage.
Size	Males average 13.25 inches in length, while females average 11.25 inches. The largest red-footed tortoise on record was 20.16 inches long.
Lifespan	Turtles and Tortoises can live over 50 yrs on average.
Location
Print Fact Sheet	Red-footed Tortoise

Special Features

Red-footed tortoises are named for the red spots (scales) visible on their front legs.
There is a South American yellow-footed tortoise, which is larger.
Tortoises regulate their body temperature to coincide with the environmental temperature like all reptiles.

Social Structure & Behavior

Males distinguish other males from females by watching their head movements. If no responsive head movement is seen after two tortoises encounter each other, the male assumes that the stranger is a female. Neither the male or female red-footed tortoise will defend a territory. They are generally considered nomadic in their movements.

Breeding and care of young
The female digs a cavity in which to deposit her eggs. She may lay a group of 2 to 15 eggs at one time. (A group of eggs is called a clutch.) Several clutches may be laid during the nesting season, which occurs between July and September. Males emit a strange clucking sound during copulation, which sounds like a hen.