# Angonoka tortoise (*Astrochelys yniphora*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/angonoka-tortoise  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), also called the Ploughshare tortoise, is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Testudinidae. It is a medium-sized tortoise with an adult body mass from 8 to 10.3 kg and a representative weight of 8.8 kg. It reaches sexual maturity at 20 years, lays 4.3 eggs per clutch with 4 clutches per year, and its eggs incubate for 239 days. The species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and has a lifespan of 75 years, with values up to 100 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8 kg – 10.3 kg |
| Length | up to 43 cm |
| Lifespan | 75 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 100 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 239 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 6 |
| Age at maturity | 15 years – 20 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 4 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Testudinidae
- genus: Astrochelys
- species: *Astrochelys yniphora* (Vaillant, 1885)

Synonyms: *Angonoka yniphora*, *Geochelone yniphora*, *Testudo hyniphora*, *Testudo yniphora*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the angonoka tortoise?

The angonoka tortoise is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup. It belongs to the order Testudines and the family Testudinidae.

### How heavy is the angonoka tortoise?

Adults weigh from 8 to 10.3 kg, with a representative body mass of 8.8 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### Is the angonoka tortoise endangered?

Yes. It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does the angonoka tortoise live?

Its lifespan is 75 years, and sources report values up to 100 years.

### How many eggs does the angonoka tortoise lay?

It lays 4.3 eggs per clutch and has 4 clutches per year. The eggs incubate for 239 days.

### At what age does the angonoka tortoise mature?

It reaches sexual maturity at 20 years.

### What are other names for the angonoka tortoise?

It is also called the Angonoka, Plowshare tortoise, Ploughshare tortoise, Madagascar tortoise and Madagascar angulated tortoise.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/angonoka-tortoise