Do you want to know the different types of Tortoise Species? Here, we have categorized tortoise species from smallest to biggest along with some important details of each.
Speckled Tortoise
Also known as Speckled Cape or Speckled Padloper, it has a size of 6 to 10 cm, has a lifespan of 100 years or more, and has a goldish beige color along with some outlines on the shell and some black spots.
Among the tortoise species around the world, speckled tortoises are considered the smallest ones and are native to a particular region of South Africa – Little Namaqualand. They can be found in dry, rocky areas and usually consume succulents and cacti, making them herbivorous tortoises. Additionally, speckled tortoises are among the endangered ones.
Generally, speckled tortoises can be identified by their gold-beige shells and their scutes are separated by black lines. In addition, their shells are commonly flat along with scalloped edges and include black speckles. In contrast to other tortoises, they have five toes on each front leg.
Egyptian Tortoise
Other alternative names for Egyptian Tortoise are Leith’s tortoise and Kleinmann’s Tortoise. They measure 13 cm or 5 in. Their colors are goldish yellow and brown. Egyptian Tortoise can survive between 70 to 100 years.
Egyptian tortoises are native to Libya, Israel, and Egypt. They are an endangered species and the smallest species that can be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Usually, they thrive in deserts and semi-arid regions.
They are highly distinguished for their dark triangular markings on their scute and their pale yellowish shells. Their plastrons have cream to dark brown color. Most likely, Egyptian tortoises are herbivores, however, there is only little information known about their dietary habits in the wild.
Also referred to as neck-hiding tortoises since Egyptian tortoises usually hold back their heads directly into their shells instead in a sideways motion like most tortoises.
Russian Tortoise
Russian Tortoise is also known as Horsefield Tortoise. Their color is black combined with yellow, and their size is 13 to 25 cm or 5 to 10 in. The lifespan of Russian tortoises is between 40 to 50 years.
Usually, Russian tortoises can be seen in the dry steppes as well as in the deserts of Central Asia, from Russia to Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. They prefer to stay in places with rocky ground and higher elevations. Russian tortoises are known to be herbivores and eat various types of grasses.
The color of their shells is tan to brown along with black patches and their skin is yellow to brown. Do you know that Russian tortoises were the first animals to fly around the moon? This was made possible through a Soviet space mission during the 1960s.
Greek Tortoise
Also called Spur Thigh Tortoise, their color is brown and goldish yellow, and their size is between 13 to 28 cm or 5 to 11 in. Greek tortoises have a lifespan of 50 to 125 years.
You can find them in most regions of the Mediterranean as well as the coastal countries of North Africa. Greek tortoises like to stay in arid, hot climates in semi-arid scrubland or rocky grounds. These species can be kept as pets.
The high-domed shells of Greek tortoises are yellow to dark brown along with some dark mosaic-like patterning. You can also find three spurs overlapping from their thighs. Greek tortoises want to burrow and dig to avoid the hot weather. Just like the other tortoise species, they are herbivores and like to eat weeds and grasses.
Hermann’s Tortoise
Hermann’s Tortoise or Hermann’s turtle has a size of 18 cm or 7.5 in. Its color is gold yellow and black. The lifespan of these tortoise species is 75 years. Hermann’s tortoises are one of the most well-known species to be kept as pets.
But unfortunately, they belong to the near-threatened classification. They thrive in the southern parts of the Balkans and across the Mediterranean. You can likely find them in rocky areas, dry forests, and semi-arid grasslands. They frequently graze on weeds and grasses, which is why these tortoises are known to be herbivores.
They are highly distinguished for their yellowish or tan to light brown shells along with their unique black markings. The skin of Hermann’s Tortoise is dark or light brown. Two of its subspecies can be found in Eastern and Western areas respectively, and their colors vary between regions.
Pancake Tortoise
Also known as Tornier’s Tortoise, the Pancake Tortoise has a size of 18 cm or 7 in. Its color is gold yellow and brown. The lifespan of Pancake tortoises is 25 years, and they are a native to Tanzania and Kenya, where they live in savanna, arid bushland, and rocky hillsides. Most of these flat-shelled tortoises are great climbers.
Pancake tortoises are known as such due to their flat brown shells that don’t include solid bone structure compared to the other tortoise shells. This is the reason why Pancake tortoises are more nimble and lighter than the other species. They have dark line markings that can be found in each scute, while the color of their plastron is yellowish.
Pancake tortoises graze on dry grasses and are herbivores. Sadly, they are critically endangered due to the enormous pet trade and the destruction of their habitat.
Gopher Tortoise
Gopher tortoises are dark brown to gray-black in color and measure 20 to 30 cm or 7.9 to 11 in. Their lifespan is 40 to 100 years or more. They are the tortoise species that thrive in North America. They belong to the Threatened classification.
Gopher tortoises extensively burrow so they can offer refuge to other animal species, especially during disastrous events such as wildfires. They are herbivores and graze on more than 300 species of plants.
One of its distinctive features is its dark brown to gray shells, while adults often have insufficient specific markings.
Hingeback Tortoise
Hingeback Tortoise or Hinged Tortoise have a size of 22 cm or 9 in and have a lifespan of 20 years. They are yellow and brown-black in color.
Hinge-back tortoises are composed of many subspecies and are native to some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. One of their unique features is their 90-degree hinged section located at the back of their shells, which can protect their legs.
They differ in color from black to dark brown. Most subspecies come with fluted edges on their exterior scutes, particularly, towards the head. They have different markings ranging from black to tan.
These tortoises favor tropical or sub-tropical regions and thrive in various habitats within these regions. All Hinge-back tortoise subspecies are considered omnivorous.
Indian Star Tortoise
Indian Star Tortoise is in black and goldish yellow color and has a size of 10 in. They have a lifespan of 30 to 80 years. They are vibrant, unique species that originate in parts of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India. Because of their lovely appearance, these tortoises have become a popular choice for the pet trade and have become endangered.
Kapidolo Farms offers a variety of food products for your pet tortoise. To learn more about our products, you can email us at kapidolofarms@gmail.com or call us at 215-483-7675.
