The Travancore tortoise (''Indotestudo travancorica'') is a large forest tortoise growing up to in length. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1907. It primarily feeds on grasses and herbs. It also feeds on molluscs,

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, animal carcass, fungi and fruits. It occurs in hill forests at 450–850 m elevation. Males combat by ramming their shell during their breeding season between November and March. It makes a shallow nest in the ground and lay 1 to 5

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. Hatchlings are 55–60 mm in size. The tortoise is hunted and it is threatened due to forest fires,

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and fragmentation. Travancore Tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica) by Sandeep Das

*Identification: a scute right behind the head is absent and the second scute along the vertebral column is located at the highest point of the shell. *Status: IUCN Red list - vulnerable; Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule IV. *Distribution: restricted to the Western Ghats, in the Indian states of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. *Vernacular names: **Tamil: ''periya amai'', ''kal amai'' **Kadas: ''vengala amai'' **Kannada: ''betta aame'', ''gudde aame'', ''kadu aame'' **Malayalam: ''kattu aama''

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q603152 Indotestudo Reptiles of India Reptiles described in 1907 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats