| Scientific Name: |
Geochelone gigantea |
| Range: |
Aldabra Islands, located in the Indian Ocean north of
Madagascar |
| Habitat: |
Grasslands, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes |
| Natural Diet: |
Vegetation |
| Zoo Diet: |
Moistened pellets and vegetables |
Physical
Characteristics: |
The giant Aldabra tortoise can weigh up to 500 pounds
and attain a shell length of more than four feet. They are dark gray to
black in color. Their carapace, or upper shell, is highly domed. These
tortoises can live to be 100 years old. |
| Behavior: |
Aldabra tortoises have been known to knock over shrubs
and small trees in order to get leaves to eat. |
| Reproduction: |
The female lays between 4-14 eggs but only about half
of them are fertilized. In warm temperatures, the eggs hatch in about
110 days. In cooler temperatures, the eggs hatch in about 250 days. |
| Notes: |
The tortoise’s numbers have drastically declined in the
last century. In past centuries, sailors passing the islands captured
thousands of tortoises for food. Rats and dogs that were introduced to
the island now eat tortoise eggs and young. Aldabra tortoises are
officially endangered. |
