The carapace is slightly to moderately depressed, oval-shaped, with a distinct median keel, especially on the second and third vertebrals, ending in a pointed knob in the young and becoming less pronounced with age. In males, the carapace is brownish-olive, while in females, it is dark brown or black. The plastron of both sexes is cream or yellow, with young turtles having large reddish-brown patches on each scute. Adult males feature a blue-black head, a broad red patch on the forehead, two yellow stripes on the sides of the head, and six red stripes on a cream-colored neck. Adult females have yellow or silvery mandibles and dark brownish-black heads. The nuchal shield is widest at the posterior. The plastron is much narrower than the carapace and includes various shields. The longest median suture is between the abdominal shields, and the shortest is between the gular, with smaller axillary shields.