The skin is black with bright yellow marks on the head and lower jaw. Many of the scales on the limbs and tail are bright scarlet. Specimens from west of the Andes have a grayish or brownish carapace. Light limb scales are yellowish or slightly orange, but not scarlet. The plastron ranges from predominantly yellow to black.
Males are slightly larger than females.
In adult males, the plastron concavity may be pigmented. The lateral and ventral concavities are most strongly developed in males. The Red-footed tortoise is found in South America, from Panama to northern Argentina and on several Caribbean islands. They live in drier forest areas, grasslands, and the savanna, or rainforest belts adjoining more open habitats. They are primarily herbivorous.