The Indian star tortoises shell is a grayish brown with golden to golden brown star patterns. This coloration blends in with the surroundings in which they live and breaks up the shell shape when they are among tufts of grass.
Food
The Indian star tortoise is a herbivore and primarily eats grass. It will also eat cactus, flowers, and fruits. The foods that they eat are the drier foods. Foods such as lettuce have too much water.
Habitat
The Indian star tortoise inhabits semi-arid lowland forests and grasslands in Southern and Central India. They can also be found in areas that have monsoon seasons. The Indian star tortoise has a higher tolerance for water than any other tortoise in its genus.
Social Structure
Male Indian star tortoises are aggressive towards one another. They are also aggressive towards females in the breeding season.
Birth & Offspring
Female Indian star tortoises lay 5 to 7 eggs in a hole dug in the ground and covered by soil. They lay a clutch anywhere from 3 to 9 times a year. Young star tortoises will often have to wait after hatching for a rainstorm to loosen the soil enough for them to leave.
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
