It has five toes on its front feet but only four on the hind. The males are much larger than females. Feeding on assorted vegetables, and fruits, the African Spurred Tortoise prefers leaves of morning-glory. Not all tortoises eat every day. Able to run and burrow quite well, they get excited just before it rains, running around, becoming inactive when very hot or very cold.
Males are frequently aggressive, ramming and biting each other.
A medium sized carnivore, it stands about 12 inches at the shoulders, weighs up to 14 pounds and has an overall body length of up to 48 inches. Males are generally larger than females They are found mainly in wooded areas where their diet is made up mostly of insects, although will eat fruits and berries when available. Foraging in the trees, as well as on the ground, they use their tail for balance while searching out insects. Keeping their noses close to the ground, they sniff the leaf litter of the forest floor, the area around rotting logs and rocky crevices for beetles, worms, grubs, ants, termites, scorpions, centipedes and other juicy insects. Small mammals, amphibians and reptiles make up a large portion of the diet in areas where these prey are abundant.