The Yellow foot tortoise, Geochelone denticulata, is found in the humid rainforest regions of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana, and French Guiana. They love to spend most of their time near or in water and prefer to stay under leaves in their natural habitat.
If you want to keep one as a pet, remember that they are considered endangered in some parts, like Peru. If you come across one, you’ll want to know everything about this fascinating species. So how big does a yellow foot tortoise get?
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How Big Does A Yellow Foot Tortoise Get?
The Yellow Foot tortoise isn’t a huge tortoise species, but it can grow to be quite large after several years. The average specimen will grow to around 14 inches (35.6 cm) long from the tip of the carapace near the head to the other end. However, some populations of yellow foot tortoises can grow to 28 inches (71 cm) long, and the largest specimen ever found was a female that measured over 38 inches long (96 cm).
In the wild, these tortoises will be closer to 18 inches (46 cm) long when fully grown; predators might easily see a larger yellow-footed tortoise. In parts of the South American rainforests, these tortoises need to be wary of not just other animals. Humans also hunt down yellow-footed tortoises to use as food and to sell in street markets.
If you have ever walked through the city of Iquitos in Peru, you’ll know that there are market stands with upside-down yellow-footed tortoises. Humans are more likely to want to catch bigger specimens since it’ll fetch a higher price tag.
It is common to see people with large homes owning a yellow-foot tortoise in their backyard in Lima, Peru. Owners had kept tortoises for several years, way before it was common knowledge that the yellow-footed tortoise is an endangered species.
Characteristics of Yellow Footed Tortoise
The shell on top, called the carapace, has a long oval shape. A high-domed back is also a characteristic of this species. At the top of the carapace, we find a flat surface along the tortoise’s vertebral.
This tortoise species also has five scutes and four pairs of costals. The yellow-footed tortoise will typically have 11 pairs of marginals as well. The scutes we find along the end of the carapace are slightly serrated in the front and rear of the yellow-footed tortoise.
The color of the carapace is typically a yellowish-brown that can get almost entirely black along the edges of the tortoise’s scutes. However, each scute has an areola, and these can be yellow, orange, and even light brown on some specimens.
The bottom shell of the tortoise is called a plastron. This bottom half is particularly thick around the edges. A characteristic of the yellow-footed tortoise’s plastron is that the front pair of plastron scutes (called gulars) does not extend past the carapace.
The tortoise’s head tends to be small compared to the rest of its body. It is also a bit longer than it is wide. The upper jaw of the tortoise is characterized by having three tooth-like points. The eyes are black and have a tympanum behind each one.
The tortoises’ skin on its head is black and yellow to orange in some specimens; this extends around the eye and ear. The same color pattern applies to the rest of the yellow-footed tortoises’ limbs.
Each frontal limb on the tortoise has five long claws that they use to dig and walk through rugged terrain. The tortoises’ limbs are also covered with very dark scales that are very fine. These fine scales, in turn, cover much larger scales.
The hind limbs on the tortoise have four claws instead of five and are similarly colored to the front limbs. The tail on the yellow-footed tortoise can vary greatly depending on the sex of the specimen.
How Much Can A Yellow Foot Tortoise Weigh?
A yellow-footed tortoise can weigh as much as 50 lbs (22 kg) when fully grown. Of course, there are instances of heavier specimens, but not by much. It’s important to point out that these tortoises are not that large in the first place.
How Long Does A Yellow Foot Tortoise Live?
The yellow-footed tortoise can live around 50–60 years as long as it is well taken care of. Proper maintenance includes something as simple as having the correct enclosure to more complicated points like a good diet or the even more complex issue of having appropriate humidity levels. Having the proper temperature settings is also vital in ensuring the tortoise stays healthy for over half a century. You can find all of this information in our Yellow Footed Tortoise Care Guide.
Conclusion
So How Big Does A Yellow Foot Tortoise Get? A Yellow-footed tortoise measures 14 to 18 inches on average but can grow as big as 38 inches long. The tortoise can weigh up to 50 lbs (22kg), making it a medium-sized tortoise when fully grown.
