The bottom of the shell is called the plastron. They have horny jaws with no teeth and elephantine legs, generally with claws. In the wild, they are found in warm, usually well vegetated areas. As adults they have no real enemies, but the young and eggs are preyed upon by ravens and other desert carnivores. The adults can survive for a considerable length of time without food or water.
Tortoises are vegetarians.
In the wild they feed on grasses. In the zoo they are fed a diet consiting of hay, grasses, commercial rabbit pellets, vegetables and occasional fruits. All Chelonians lay eggs on land in various habitats - some in sand, some in leaf litter and some in burrows of other animals. The female has a flat plastron. An area in the Mojave Desert has been set aside for desert tortoises and all off-road vehicle races are forbidden in this area.