Red-footed tortoise

Common card · No. 215088

The red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) is a species of tortoise from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average 30 cm (12 in) as adults, but can reach over 40 cm (16 in). They have dark-colored (nearly black), “loaf”-shaped carapaces (top shell) with a lighter patch in the middle of each scute (shell segment), and a somewhat lighter-colored plastron (underbelly). They also have dark limbs dotted with brightly-colored scales, from which they get their name, that range from pale yellow to vivid or dark red. Visible differences are noted between red-footed tortoises from varying eco-regions. They are closely related to the more easterly-distributed yellow-footed tortoise (C. denticulatus) of the Amazon Basin. Their natural habitat ranges from savannah to forest edges around the Amazon Basin. They are omnivorous tortoises, consuming a wide assortment of plants, grasses, flowers, fruit and (notably) fungi, as well as the occasional earthworm or other invertebrate...

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