The radiated tortoise takes its name from the golden, radiated patterns that cover its dark carapace. It lives in dry forest areas in Madagascar, and its food consists mostly of grass and plants.
Due to its beautiful carapace, the radiated tortoise is a popular pet. In some countries, people even eat it as a delicacy. Year by year, new construction and farming are restricting the number of habitats. Radiated tortoises are also collected illegally and sold to collectors. As a result, today the radiated tortoise is a critically endangered species.
These tortoises can become very old. The oldest radiated tortoise we know of lived to an age of 188 years old.