The thick carapace is brownish gray and highly domed . The head is narrowly pointed with a convex forehead. The tail, head, neck, and limbs are gray.
Males have larger and longer tails than the females.
Among the tortoises, this species is second only in size to the slightly larger species found on the Galapagos Islands. Life Span is believed to surpass 100 years. It is believed that tortoises are the longest lived of all animals. It digs burrows to stay cool and stays in the shade during the hot weather. Most begin to reproduce when they reach approximately half their eventual size.