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A Hermann's tortoise with a black-and-yellow shell among plants.
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hermann's Tortoise

Testudo hermanni

A small, domed European tortoise with a black-and-yellow patterned shell that sleeps through the cold months.

🐢 Turtles and Tortoises
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About the Hermann's Tortoise

Hermann's tortoises are 4.7 to 9 inches long and weigh 4.4 to 5.5 pounds, with females about 12 percent larger. Their domed shells have black markings on yellow or beige scutes, and the scale above the tail is split in two. They live in forests along the northern Mediterranean coast from Spain to Romania, with about a quarter of them in Italy, and eat grass, leaves, fruit and flowers.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Testudo hermanni[1]
Size
4.7 to 9 inches long.[1]
Weight
4.4 to 5.5 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
70 to 100 years.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Grass, leaves, fruit and flowers.[1]
Habitat
Inland and coastal forests.[1]
Where it lives
Northern Mediterranean coast of Europe, from Spain to Romania.[1]
Babies
6 to 9 eggs.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • Hermann's tortoises can live 70 to 100 years.[1]
  • They spend their whole lives in an area about the size of two football fields.[1]
  • The scale above a Hermann's tortoise's tail is split in two.[1]

Vocabulary

scute
One of the large plates that cover a tortoise's shell.
brumation
A sleepy, inactive period that reptiles go through in cold weather, a bit like hibernation.
plastron
The bottom part of a turtle's or tortoise's shell.
herbivore
An animal that eats only plants.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] Oakland Zoo. “Hermann's Tortoise.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/hermanns-tortoise/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Testudo hermanni (Hermann's Tortoise).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21648/2777071 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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