The Aldabra giant tortoise is a huge reptilian land animal that slowly roams their scrubland home. They definitely live up to their name by growing to great lengths and weights. Aldabra giants aren’t good at speed, but do make up for that in size.
Size
Aldabra giants are very well known because of their size, and so they should. Males can measure 4 feet (1.22 meters) and weigh up to 250kg (550 pounds). The females are a lot smaller than males so only weigh 160kg (350 pounds). They can grow up to 3 feet (91cm).
Location
These large tortoises really do not have a very big distribution at all. As you can tell by the name, The Aldabra giant tortoise only lives on the island of Aldabra in the Seychelles Northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Their habitats include scrub, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes. A large proportion of the tortoises live on the grasslands called platins.
Population
Because of It’s such small distribution, The tortoises population can’t get very big at all. The tortoises have adapted perfectly to the island’s habitats which means their population is thriving. The population is around 200,000 individuals in the wild although the population is declining very rapidly. In some parts the population has declined by two thirds.
Testudinidae Family Group
The Aldabra tortoise is part of the family Testudinidae which includes some of the largest species of tortoises in the whole world. Some of the other members of this family group include: The Galapagos tortoise, Indian star tortoise, leopard tortoise, desert tortoise and around 45 more.
Diet
Aldabra giants are browsers which means they will eat most lowland plant matter that they find including woody plants and bark, grasses.But at zoos they will commonly eat an array of vegetables and fruits such as lettuce and tomatoes. Out in the wild they may even eat the carcasses of other dead tortoises.
Predators
Because of their very isolated island home there is nothing that would kill a fully grown adult, but for their young it is very different. Some of the threats to the young and their eggs include rats and cats that have been brought in by sailors along time ago. Although there is nothing that will eat the Aldabra giants, their major food competitor is goats that have been brought to the island again.
Fun Facts
Did you know that the Aldabra giant tortoise is known to dig shallow but large depressions in swamps to rest in so they are hidden and to stay cool in the tropical sun.
If you enjoyed reading this maybe you would enjoy reading about the Amur Tiger
