Brazilian giant tortoise, Brazilian giant turtle, Big turtle
The Yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus ) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae and is closely related to the Red-footed tortoise (C. carbonarius ). This is the sixth-largest tortoise species on Earth, after the Galapagos tortoise, the Aldabra tortoise, the African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata, the Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis ), and the Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys emys.
Yellow-footed tortoises typically average 40 cm (15.75 in) in size, but much larger specimens are common. The largest known specimen is a female that was 94 cm (37 in) long.
The carapace (shell top) of these tortoises are long oval with parallel sides and a high-domed back that is generally flat along the vertebrals (scutes or shell scales along the top of the carapace) with a slight peak near the hind end. There are five vertebral scutes, four pairs of costals, eleven pairs of marginals, no nuchal scute (the marginal over the neck), and a large, undivided supracaudal (the marginals over the tail). The front and rear marginals (scutes along the edge of the carapace) are slightly serrated in the front and rear of young yellow-footed tortoises. The carapace is yellowish brown to dark brown or even black at the edges of the scutes. The areola in each scute is pale yellow, orange, or light brown and blends into the darker carapace.
The plastron (shell bottom) is thick around the edges, and the gulars (front pair of plastron scutes) do not project past the carapace. The plastron is yellow-brown turning nearly black near the seams.
The head is relatively small and longer than wide. The upper jaw has three tooth-like points. There are large black eyes with a tympanum behind each eye. The skin of the head and limbs is black with yellow to orange scales on top and around the eye and ear. The forelimbs have five claws, are long and slightly flattened. They are covered with fine, dark scales and slightly overlapping larger scales on the front in the same color as the head. The hind limbs are elephant-like with four claws and are covered in small scales colored like the forelimbs. The tail varies in length by gender and has a row of colored scales on the sides.
Yellow-footed tortoises are found in the Amazon Basin of South America. Their favored habitats include grasslands, dry forest areas, savanna, or rainforest belts adjoining more open areas.
Yellow-footed tortoises are diurnal creatures, meaning they are active during the day. When not breeding they live and spend their time singly and are considered nomadic in their movements. Because tortoises are restricted by their shell and short limbs, visual communication is not a strong form of their communication. Yellow-footed tortoises identify each other using body language and make a sound like a baby cooing with a raspy voice. When sensing danger they always hide in their shell.
Yellow-footed tortoises are omnivores. They are too slow to capture any fast animals and thus eat many kinds of foliage. Their diet includes grasses, fallen fruit, plants, mushrooms, slow-moving invertebrates such as snails, worms, and others they are able to capture. They also eat carrion, bones, and excrement.
Yellow-footed tortoises breed year-round. During this time rival males will battle, attempting to overturn each other, but neither the males nor females will defend a territory. On average, a female will lay about 6 to 16 eggs per year, although some female individuals may not reproduce each year. The eggs have brittle shells and are elongated to spherical, about 3-6 cm in diameter. The egg size will increase with the body size of the tortoise. Incubation usually lasts about 105-202 days. After hatching baby tortoises will fend for themselves, starting by eating calcium-rich plant matter. They will become reproductively mature at about 8-10 years of age.
The biggest threat to Yellow-footed tortoises is overhunting and as with many species of turtles and tortoises they end up as food items in local markets. Other serious threats to this species include habitat loss and disturbance by humans.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Yellow-footed tortoise total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.
