It is relatively easy to distinguish males and females within the genus Maptortoise. Like most other turtles, the male has a thicker and longer tail than the female, and its cloaca is located beyond the rear edge of the carapace. Male tortoises have elongated claws on their front feet. Body size in adulthood can also be a distinguishing feature. For most adult turtles, the smallest females are also equal to or larger than the largest males.

The marginal shield at the rear of most map turtle carapaces also protrudes backwards, making the back The rear edge of the nail is clearly serrated. Some species have huge heads and jaws, which allow them to crush snails and other mollusks. Finally, the most striking difference is the characteristic thin lines on their skin and scutellum, which is where the name map turtles comes from, as they look like contour lines and road traffic on a map Figure, which is difficult for other turtles to match.