Spur-Thighed Tortoise

The Spur-Thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca) has dark brown markings with a light brown shell as a youngster which usually fades to a plain brown or black shell with age. In their natural habitat, the Spur-Thighed Tortoise can usually be found in grassland, forest and savannah areas. A terrestrial species they love to spend lots of time burrowed down in substrate. The Spur-Thighed Tortoise is commonly referred to as the Greek Tortoise due to the oldest known tortoise fossil being attributed to this species discovered in Greece. Typically, the Spur-Thighed Tortoise has a large bump (spur) on the skin on the back of the thighs.