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Indian Star Tortoise | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Indian Star Tortoise

Geochelone elegans

ReptiliaDry scrub, thorn forest, grassland and semi-desertVulnerable

Field profile

The Indian star tortoise has a strongly domed shell with raised scutes carrying yellow lines that radiate outward in a star pattern. It lives in dry scrub and grassland across South Asia and feeds on grasses, fallen fruit and succulents. It is one of the most heavily trafficked tortoises in the world.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-08-01

Indian Star Tortoise

Star tortoise seizures run to tens of thousands

Customs and police confiscations of Indian star tortoises have repeatedly involved thousands of animals in a single case. The scale of that trade led CITES to move the species to Appendix I in 2019, banning commercial international trade outright.

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