Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Description:

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is a giant species of Tortoise native to the Aldabra atol of Seychelles islands in the Indian ocean. It is one of the largest species of Tortoise on the planet (Changuu rangers claimed it was the second largest) and is also one of the world's longest living animals, with one Aldabra Giant Tortoise individual reaching the grand old age of 255 years old. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is the only Indian ocean giant Tortoise species alive today as others have now become extinct with the arrival of Human settlers (including the Seychelles Giant Tortoise which is now thought to be extinct in the wild). The Aldabra Giant Tortoise and the Seychelles Giant Tortoise are so similar in both appearance and behaviour that they are actually thought by some to be the same species. The two most prominent features of this tortoise is an enormous high-dome-shaped shell which acts as protective armor to the soft, vulnerable body. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise also has an incredibly long neck, of great use in order to reach and to tear leaves from the branches higher up. The male Aldabra Giant Tortoise grows to an average size of 1.1 meters long, with females being slightly smaller at a length of 0.9 meters. The males, although not really that much bigger, are also known to weigh nearly 100 kg more than their female counterparts (250Kg against 150 for females). These tortoises are slow-moving animals with thick, short legs and round, almost flat feet that help them when they are walking on the sand.

Habitat:

from A-Z animals : "The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is primarily found inhabiting grasslands and swamps on the islands of the Aldabra atoll, part of the Seychelles island chain in the Indian Ocean. They once shared these islands with a number of other giant Tortoise species, but many of these were hunted to extinction in the 1700s and 1800s. Although the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is usually found in areas of dense, low-lying vegetation, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is also known to wander into more sparse, rocky regions when food is in short supply. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise can also often be found resting in the shade, or in a very shallow pool of water to cool themselves down in the heat. Aldabra Giant Tortoises are found both individually and in herds, which tend to gather mostly on open grasslands. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is generally most active in the mornings when they spend the most time browsing for food, before the temperature gets too high. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is also known to dig underground burrows or rest in swamps to keep cool during the heat of the day. Despite being slow and cautious animals, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is said to be uninterested in the presence of people, indicating that one of the reasons that they were so easy for Human settlers to hunt, was simply because these animals had no fear of them."

Notes:

Historically there were giant tortoises on many of the western Indian Ocean islands as well as Madagascar; but it is believed that many of the Indian Ocean species were driven to extinction by over-exploitation by European sailors. It seems they were all extinct by 1840 with the exception of the Aldabran Giant Tortoise on the atol of Aldabra. During our visit to Changuu island back in 2001, we heard a very interesting story regarding the historical facts about how this species being brought to island, which I later on picked up on Wikipedia (article on Changuu island - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changuu) "In 1919 the British governor of Seychelles sent a gift of four Aldabra giant tortoises to Changuu from the island of Aldabra. These tortoises bred quickly and by 1955 they numbered around 200 animals. However people began to steal the tortoises for sale abroad as pets or for food and their numbers dropped rapidly. By 1988 there were around 100 tortoises, 50 in 1990 and just seven by 1996.[2] A further 80 hatchlings were taken to the island in 1996 to increase the numbers but 40 of them vanished. The Zanzibar government, with assistance from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (Now known as World Animal Protection). built a large compound for the protection of the animals and by 2000 numbers had recovered to 17 adults, 50 juveniles and 90 hatchlings. The species is now considered vulnerable and has been placed on the IUCN Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. More tortoises, mainly juveniles, continue to be brought to the island from other locations for conservation. There is a dedicated foundation on the island which looks after the tortoises' welfare. Visitors are able to observe and feed the tortoises."