Diet
Yellow-Footed Tortoises are omnivores, feeding mainly on fallen fruit, leaves, flowers and fungi, along with occasional carrion and invertebrates.
Average lifespan
Yellow-Footed Tortoises are long-lived and can reach 50 to 60 years or more.
Size
Adults usually reach about 40 centimeters (16 inches) in shell length, and large individuals can grow to 70 centimeters (28 inches) or more.
Weight
Adult Yellow-Footed Tortoises generally weigh between 11 and 16 kilograms (25 to 35 pounds), with the largest individuals weighing considerably more.
About
Yellow-Footed Tortoises are native to the Amazon Basin of South America, ranging through Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and the Guianas. They live mainly on the floor of humid tropical rainforests, where the canopy provides shade and fallen fruit is plentiful. They are the largest tortoise on mainland South America and are named for the yellow-orange scales on their legs.
Size and behavior
Yellow-Footed Tortoises are active during the day and live mostly solitary lives, wandering through the forest without defending a territory. Females are usually larger than males. During the breeding season, males bob their heads and battle rivals by trying to flip them over, and they communicate using body language and soft, raspy cooing sounds.
Diet and nutrition
Yellow-Footed Tortoises use their keen sense of smell to find fruiting trees, where they gather to feed on fallen fruit. Fungi can make up a surprisingly large share of their diet, up to about a fifth. Because they swallow seeds whole and carry them long distances, they help spread plants throughout the rainforest.
Tropical Rainforest
Conservation status
Yellow-Footed Tortoises are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Hunting for meat and eggs is the biggest threat to wild populations, and deforestation of the Amazon is reducing the habitat they depend on.
Fun fact
Yellow-Footed Tortoises usually measure about 40 centimeters, but the largest one ever recorded measured an incredible 94 centimeters (37 inches) long.
Common Name: Yellow-Footed Tortoise
Also known as: N/A
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