Finch & Co - Catalogue 21

[31] Victorian Specimen of an Exotic Indian Star Tort­oiseshell Geochelone Elegans 19th Century s i z e: 12.5 cm high, 24 cm long, 15 cm wide – 5 ins high, 9½ ins long, 6 ins wide s e e: Finch & Co catalogue no. 6, item no. 66, for another example The Indian Star tortoise was once one of the most familiar of exotic tortoises in captivity. Found in Sri Lanka and peninsular India it is a comparatively small species with a typical shell pattern of radiating yellow streaks running from a central scute star that extend down to the margins of the dark brown shell. Although striking in the hand, these radiations in the wild provide a very effective camouflage for this arid land tortoise when resting in the heat of the day in tussocks of dry grass.