One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Testudinidae
Red-Footed Tortoise
Chelonoidis carbonarius
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
The red-footed tortoise or morrocoy is a South American land tortoise with red or orange markings on its legs and head. It is omnivorous and a first-rate seed disperser in the forests where it lives. It is caught in large numbers for human consumption, above all during Holy Week in several countries of the continent.
Weight
10 kg – 25 kg
Size
30 cm – 50 cm
Lifespan
60 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- GeneralThe males cluck like a hen in courtship.
- It is a key seed disperser: it swallows fruit whole and deposits the seeds far from the parent tree, and several plants of Amazonia and the cerrado germinate better after passing through its gut.
- Its capture for food soars during Holy Week in several South American countries, when it is traditionally regarded as meat permitted during abstinence, and that seasonal pressure is one of its main threats.
- It has been shown experimentally that it learns by watching other tortoises and that it solves mazes by remembering the route, cognitive abilities that were underestimated in chelonians.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with a shell (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Dry forest, wooded savannah, cerrado and forest edges of northern and central South America
- Sexual maturity
- 6 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 140 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 8 eggs
Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-footed_tortoise
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 44 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Red-Footed Tortoise — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
VulnerableGiant Armadillo
Priodontes maximus
VulnerableGiant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
VulnerableAmazonian Manatee
Trichechus inunguis
White Bald-headed Uakari
Cacajao calvus
VulnerableAndean Bear
Tremarctos ornatus
VulnerableLowland Tapir
Tapirus terrestris
How to help
The red-footed tortoise is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 8 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about red-footed tortoise.
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