- The slightly rectangular shell has three keels and is usually black to brown to olive green.
- Reeves' turtles have various patterns of pale spots on their heads.
- Reeves tortoises are primarily omnivores, although the adults' diet emphasizes vegetation more while the hatchlings/juveniles will eat more meat.
- In the wild, these turtles will eat small amphibians and fish, insects, worm-like mollusks, and aquatic plants.
- Reeves' tortoise usually inhabits slow-moving bodies of water such as ponds, rivers, and streams. They may also prefer wetland habitats close to paddy fields, especially when the area is flooded by rain.