"Testudo marginata" is also closely related to the Greek or common tortoise ("Testudo graeca"). Both have very similar bodily characteristics—oblong carapaces, large scales on the front legs, large coverings for the head and cone-like scales on the upper thighs, undivided tail coverings, moveable stomach plates, and lack of tail spikes. Presumably, "Testudo marginata" diverged from ancestral "Testudo graeca" as a population more suited for life in the mountainous regions. Evidence in favor of this is the wide geographical region and the extremely large number of subspecies of "Testudo graeca", including a subspecies in Turkey with strongly bent carapace tiles, like the marginated tortoise. "Testudo marginata" on the other hand, despite the two subspecies, presents a much more unified appearance, which points toward an earlier appearance in evolutionary history. In captivity, the two species often cross-breed, but this should be avoided.