Below you will find a few of the many different types of Tortoise Species. In order to make filtering easy we have categorized them from smallest to largest along with some highlights of each like colors and alternate names.
To learn more about each type of tortoise, just click on the image or title and you will be taken to a more in depth overview of the tortoise and how to care for the tortoise.
Tortoise Species by Size
Small (2 to 12 inches)
Speckled Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Chersoibius
- Size: 2.4 to 3.9 in (6-10 cm)
- Color: Goldish Beige with black spots and outlines on shell
- Binomial Name: Chersobius signatus / Homopus signatus
- Other Names: Speckled Padloper, Speckled Cape
- Lifespan: 100+ years
Egyptian Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Testudo
- Size: 5 in (13 cm)
- Color: Brown and Goldish yellow
- Binomial Name: Testudo kleinmanni
- Other Names: Kleinmann’s Tortoise, Leith’s tortoise
- Lifespan: 70 – 100 years
Russian Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Agrionemys
- Size: 5-10 in (13-25 cm)
- Color: Black with Yellow
- Binomial Name: Agrionemys Horsfieldii
- Other Names: Horsefield Tortoise
- Lifespan: 40 years
Greek Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Testudo
- Size: 5 – 11 in (13 – 28 cm)
- Color: Brown and Goldish yellow
- Binomial Name: Testudo Graeca
- Other Names: Spur Thigh Tortoise
- Lifespan: 125 years
Hermann’s Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Testudo
- Size: 7.5 in (18 cm)
- Color: Black and gold yellow
- Binomial Name: Testudo hermanni
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: 75 years
Pancake Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Malacochersus
- Size: 7 in (18 cm)
- Color: Brown and Gold yellow
- Binomial Name: Malacochersus tornieri
- Other Names: Tornier’s Tortoise
- Lifespan: 25 years
Gopher Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Gopherus
- Size: 7.9 – 11 in (20 – 30 cm)
- Color: Dark Brown to Gray-black
- Binomial Name: Gopherus polyphemus
- Other Names:
- Lifespan: 100+ years
Hingeback Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Kinixys
- Size: 9 in (22 cm)
- Color: brown black and yellow
- Binomial Name: Kinixys belliana
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: 20 years
Indian Star Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Geochelone
- Size: 10 in ( cm)
- Color: Goldish Yellow and Black
- Binomial Name: Geochelone elegans
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: 30 to 80 years
Elongated Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Indotestudo
- Size: 12 in (30 cm)
- Color: Black and Goldish yellow
- Binomial Name: Indotestudo Elongata
- Other Names: Yellow Headed Tortoise
- Lifespan: 50 years
Medium (13 – 24)
Desert Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Gopherus
- Size: 10 – 14 in (25 – 36 cm)
- Color: Greenish-tan to dark brown
- Binomial Name: Gopherus agassizii
- Other Names: Desert Turtles
- Lifespan: 50 – 80 years
Red Footed Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Chelonoidis
- Size: 12 – 16 in (30 – 40 cm)
- Color: pale yellow to brick red
- Binomial Name: Chelonoidis carbonaria
- Other Names: Red-Leg, Red-Legged, or Red-Foot Tortoise, and Savanna Tortoise
- Lifespan: 50 years
Marginated Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Testudo
- Size: 14 in (35 cm)
- Color: Brown and Goldish yellow
- Binomial Name: Testudo Marginata
- Other Names:
- Lifespan: 100+ years
Burmese Star Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Geochelone
- Size: 14 in (35 cm)
- Color: Goldish Yellow and gray
- Binomial Name: Geochelone playtona
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: unknown – long
Impressed Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Manouria
- Size: 14 in (35 cm)
- Color: Yellow, brown, redish
- Binomial Name: Manouria impressa
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: unknown
Angonoka Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Astrochelys
- Size: 15 – 17 in (38 – 43cm)
- Color: Light brown and yellow
- Binomial Name: Astrochelys yniphora
- Other Names: Ploughshare tortoise, plowshare tortoise, Madagascar tortoise
- Lifespan: 188 years
Yellow Foot Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Chelonoidis
- Size: 16 in (40 cm)
- Color: Black and Goldish yellow
- Binomial Name: Chelonoidis Denticulatus
- Other Names:
- Lifespan: 50 to 60 years
Radiated Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Astrochelys
- Size: 16 in (40 cm)
- Color: Yellow, orange, and black
- Binomial Name: Astrochelys radiata
- Other Names:
- Lifespan: 100+ years
Large (25 and above)
Leopard Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Chordata
- Size: 27 in (69 cm) long / 18 in (46 cm) tall
- Color: Black with Gold similar to a leopard
- Binomial Name: Stigmochelys pardalis
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: 100 years
Sulcata Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Centrochelys
- Size: 33 in (83 cm)
- Color: Black and Yellow
- Binomial Name: Centrochelys sulcata
- Other Names: African Spurred Tortoise
- Lifespan: 70 years
Aldabra Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Aldabrachelys
- Size: Average 48 inches (122 cm) in length
- Color: Brown or Tan
- Binomial Name: Aldabrachelys Gigantea
- Other Names: Seychelles Giant Tortoise
- Lifespan: 200+ years
Galapagos Tortoise
- Family: Testudinidae
- Genus: Chelonoidis
- Size: 24 – 59 in (61 – 150cm) varies on islands
- Color: blackish gray
- Binomial Name: Chelonoidis Nigra
- Other Names: –
- Lifespan: 100+ years