During courtship, the males of this species make a peculiar noise similar to that of a hen.
Physical Features
They are turtles up to 51 cm in length with dark shells and some yellowish spots in the centre of the plates and on the edge of the shell. They have a narrowing on the sides of the shell forming a sort of “waist” that gives them an hourglass shape.
Males are usually slightly larger than females (about 30.5 cm versus 29 cm).
Although there can be many variations in colouring, the legs and head appear with red, orange or yellow spots.
Diet
They are strict herbivores, feeding on plants, flowers and fruit patiently waiting for them to ripen and fall from the trees, living under the trees. The percentage of fruit in their diet is much higher than in other tortoise species.
Reproduction
The courtship ritual involves head movements by the male. At first the male stands next to another tortoise and moves his head suddenly to one side, then returns to the centre and repeats this movement. If the other tortoise is a male, it will respond with the same movements by pushing and hitting the other tortoise. If, on the other hand, the other tortoise is a female, it will not respond by moving its head. The male moves to sniff her tail to confirm that it is a female before mating begins.
Some experiments have shown that for mating to take place, it is not only the head movement that is necessary, but also a certain colouring.
Another peculiarity is that during courtship and mating, the males emit a hen-like clicking sound. In the wild, Chelonoidis carbonaria lays between 5 and 15 eggs between July and September, which are buried in a nest in the ground. Hatchlings usually hatch in about 120 days.
Threats
There are three main threats to this species: deforestation by man to create crops, hunting for its illegal sale as a pet and hunting for consumption as food, as in the Catholic Church it is considered not to be meat and therefore it is allowed to be eaten at Easter, and hunting at this time of year is very common.
Status and conservation
Species not assessed by the IUCN but included in Appendix II of the CITES Convention for protection.
