ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISEGeochelone gigantea
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
There are reduced populations due to hunting, loss of habitat, and competition for resources. Currently, there are captive breeding programs and protection against international trade.
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Color:
The Aldabra Giant Tortoise, as stated in the name, is large. They have a dark gray to black domed carapace.
Size:
Can be over 1 meter in length
Weight:
Males can weigh up to 550 lbs or more, with females smaller than males at approximately 350 lbs
Average Lifespan:
100-150 years
Captive Lifespan:
The oldest known Aldabra tortoise in captivity at the present time is over 185 years old.
Native to the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles but have been introduced to different islands throughout the Seychelles, the country of Mauritius, and the island of Réunion. Can also be found in Madagascar and Tanzania. These places are all in Africa.
Inhabit vegetated areas from scrub and mangrove swamps to platins (grassy plains).
Mating:
Males will bellow while chasing females for mating.
Gestation/Incubation:
Hatchlings emerge any time from 3.5 to 7 months after eggs are laid.
Litter/Clutch Size:
9-25 eggs per clutch, which may take up to 7 months to hatch and only 50% of which may be fertile.
Mature:
They do not reach sexual maturity until they are in their 30s.
Eat mainly vegetation, but may occasionally supplement their diet with carrion.
They are active mainly in the early morning and late evening.
1. They can drink from shallow pools through their nostrils.
2. One of only 3 giant tortoises alive today in that region and the only one of those three alive in the wild.
Al is Binder Park Zoo’s Aldabra giant tortoise. These enormous tortoises are found on the Aldabra Islands in the Indian Ocean, inhabiting grasslands and swamps. Al became a resident at Binder Park Zoo in 1984 and has lived here longer than any other animal at this zoo. Zoo staff estimates that he is around 80 years old, which is considered middle-aged as Aldabra giant tortoises can live up to 150 years. Al weighs in at an astonishing 550 pounds. His diet consists of hay, leafy greens, tortoise pellets, vegetables, and fruits, his favorite being a banana. He likes the warm weather, so when it is temperate and sunny, you can find him grazing on grass or soaking in his pool.