This turtle present in Spain reaches to measure about 18 cm. Its shell is domed and yellowish tones to olive green. The plates forming this shell usually have black edges and a black spot on the inside. A characteristic feature of this species that distinguishes it from the Mediterranean tortoise is that the supracaudal plate (the one above the tail) is not divided. The plastron, called plastron in tortoises, is yellow with black spots. Its head is yellow with black spots and can extend to almost cover it. It has bulging frog-like eyes, which also serve to distinguish it from other species. They have five claws on the front legs and four on the hind legs, and on the back of the thigh they have a dewclaw. The males are smaller (up to 15 cm) and have a long and robust tail, while in females, older (up to 18 cm), the tail is small and short. The plastron of females and juveniles is flat, while that of males has a concavity to facilitate mating during coitus. For copulation the male perches behind the female’s back. After intercourse the female can keep semen until conception, which can take up to four years. The eggs are deposited in holes excavated in the ground by the female, three or four times a year, between May and June. The number of eggs depends on the size of the female. Incubation lasts two to three months, and the sex of the offspring depends on the environmental temperature. If it is below 31.5 degrees, males will predominate, if it is higher, females will predominate. But the temperature must always be between 26 and 33 degrees, because outside this range malformations and deaths occur. Moorish Turtle bases its diet on wild plants: alfalfa, thistles, dandelion, rosemary etc. Sometimes they also feed on dead animals and carrion, as well as slugs and insects. Females consume more meat than males. Moorish Turtle are ectotherms, i.e. their body temperature depends exclusively on the ambient temperature. Their view is excellent: they distinguish shapes and colors; they even recognize people when they live in captivity. Their sense of smell is also fine and serves them to search for food and mate. Although their hearing is not developed, they do notice the vibrations of the ground. Their sense of direction is very precise. Although in the wild they do not seem to exceed 20 years of life, in captivity they can reach 60. This turtle is also called Testudo graeca because of the shape of the plates and patterns on its shell, which are reminiscent of Greek mosaics. For this reason, it is considered more correct to call it the ‘Moorish Turtle’, from Mauritania, which is where its largest populations are found and where there is the most fossil record.