On the back of its shell, the tortoise has a 90 degree hinge which, when closed, can protect its rear legs and tail from predators.

However, a revision of the species advocated by Kindler et al. (2012) restricted it only to the central African populations, ranging from Angola to Burundi.

[5] Bell's hinge-back tortoise is an omnivore, with a very varied diet consisting mainly of a range of different plants, but also including insects and other meat.

[citation needed] Its shells are used as musical instruments by the priests of the Oroko and other peoples of southwestern Cameroon to accompany religious incantations.

[8] Kinixys tortoises play host to a number of ectoparasites (external) and endoparasites (internal) A survey (by Alan Probert & Clive Humphreys) of mixed captive K. spekii and K. belliana (mostly K. spekii) in Zimbabwe showed that ticks (Arachnida) and roundworms (Nematoda) of genera Angusticium, Atractis and Tachygontria infect these tortoises.