[1] It was upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019 by full consensus among all member states, giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.

It has no nuchal scute, and the supracaudal is undivided, and curved inward in the male; the shields are strongly striated concentrically.

[4] The patterning, although highly contrasting, is disruptive and breaks the outline of the tortoise as it sits in the shade of grass or vegetation.

They are mostly herbivorous and feed on grasses, fallen fruit, flowers, and leaves of succulent plants, and will occasionally eat carrion.

The shape of this creature is presumed to be specially adapted to naturally assist it to return to a stable stance after it has been turned over.

Just as a bottom-weighted (nonhomogeneous weight distribution) sphere would always return to the same upright position, they found it was possible to construct a shape that behaves the same way.

After that, they noted the similarity to the Indian star tortoise and subsequently tested 30 turtles by turning them upside down.

Although they are native to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, they are found all over Southeast Asia, the United States, Europe, and many other countries.

Smugglers will collect a large amount of the tortoises, tape their legs, and put all of them in small containers, bags, and boxes.

Even though they are smuggled in large amounts, many of the tortoises end up dying before they even get sold due to the harsh conditions they endure such as stress, suffocation, cracked shells, and not being able to move.

The illegal pet trade continues to devastate the populations of these tortoises and could even potentially cause extinction among the species.

[7] Human handling and the transportation of these tortoises under inhumane conditions will increase the risk of diseases and parasites causing a large number of deaths.