Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics

Body measurements

*Largest female reported by Platt et al. (2019) was 45.5 cm (17.9 in) CL; may have had condition of gigantism, where grow exceptionally large (e.g., due to a hormone disorder). Platt and colleagues suggest typical maximum size for females is 32 cm (12 to 13 in).

Data sources: Platt et al. 2001; Platt et al. (2011), Platt et al. (2019); S.G. Platt, personal communication, 2022

Body

• Upper shell (carapace)
• Oval-shaped (Ernst and Barbour 1989; Bonin et al. 2006)
• Shell edge weakly “scalloped” (Ernst and Barbour 1989)
• Lower shell (plastron)
• Notched at front and rear ends (Smith 1931; Ernst and Barbour 1989)
• Blyth (1863) describes the plates of this species as flat
• Bony plates of shell (scutes) raised (called “pyramiding”) present in some individuals (Moll 1989; Highfield 1996; Platt et al. 2019)
• Causes not well known (Fyfe 2007, cited by Kalyar Platt et al. 2014; Platt et al. 2011)
• More common in managed care
• May be due to overly dry conditions, improper diet as hatchlings, or genetic factors

Head

• Medium-size head with weakly hooked upper jaw (Smith 1931; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Platt et al. 2011)
• Lower jaw has small hook (Platt et al. 2011)
• Pupil large and dark with brown iris (Theobald 1868)

Limbs

• Front of legs covered by pointed and rounded yellow, bony scales (Bonin et al. 2006; Platt et al. 2011)
• Patch of enlarged scales on thighs (Smith 1931; Bonin et al. 2006)

Tail

• Tail tip tough and spiny (Theobald 1868; Smith 1931; Pritchard 1979; Ernst and Barbour 1989)
• Described as a spur, or as a horn- or claw-like structure

Coloration

• Pronounced differences in color at species level (Platt et al. 2018)
• Upper shell
• Light brown to black with typically 1-6 stripes radiating out from yellow patches (Blyth 1863; Theobald 1868; Smith 1931; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Platt et al. 2011)
• Yellow V-pattern along edge of shell (Ernst and Barbour 1989; Platt et al. 2011)
• Pattern camouflages star tortoises under grasses (Pritchard 1979)
• Lower shell
• Yellow to orange base color with dark brown or black blotches (Smith 1931; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Bonin et al. 2006; Platt et al. 2018)
• Blotches sometimes resemble rounded triangles in shape
• Head, legs, and tail yellowish (Theobald 1868; Smith 1931; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Platt et al. 2011)

Body size and shape

• Females larger than males (Platt et al. 2001; Platt et al. 2003)
• Female shell shape more round, “presumably to accommodate eggs” (Kalyar Platt et al. 2014)

Shell shape

• Lower shell (plastron) more concave in males (Platt et al. 2011; Kalyar Platt et al. 2014)
• Accommodates copulation

Tail

• Males have longer, thicker tails with the vent nearer the tip (Ernst and Barbour 1989; Kalyar Platt et al. 2014)

These tortoises are named for the star-shaped pattern on their shell, which camouflages them under grasses.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

The shell coloration of Burmese Star Tortoises varies from light brown to black.

Image credit: Myo Min Win, © WCS/TSA Myanmar Turtle Program. All rights reserved. Used with permission.