2. WHERE DO YOU FIND THEM?
They are found in big
numbers in Islands of
Aldabra in the
Seychelles.
The Aldabra Tortoises are
know to be seen in a
variety of habitat that
include Grasslands,
Mangrove Swamps, Low
Scrubs and Coastal
dunes.
Estimated Population
Size:200,000
3. IDENTIFICATION
The Aldabra Tortoise's
shell and soft parts are
a uniform dark grey.
The head is small in
proportion to the body,
not wider than the neck
which is little long and
the shell is often
elongated and low,
although it has other
shapes too.
4. BEHAVIOR.
The Aldabra tortoises are found both in herds and
individually.
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.
Pritchad C.H Peter, Encyclopedia Of Turtles , T.F.H Publications, Pgs: 285 – 295.
5. DIET.
They graze on grasses
and bushes.
They are found grazing
in a place called the
tortoise turf which is an
area filled with 20
different species of grass
and herbs.
Their longnecks help
them reach out for higher
treats and eat small fruits
and berries.
Pritchad C.H Peter, Encyclopedia Of Turtles , T.F.H Publications, Pgs: 285 –
295.
7. BREEDING
The breeding season extends from January to April.
Female carry the eggs for about 10 weeks, after
which they burry them in the sand.
They lay between 9-25 eggs.
The eggs take 120 to 130 days to hatch.
Fertility rate is about 50%.
One female may nest twice in an year.
1. Paull, Cary, Richard, The Eight Great Tortoises, Green Nature books, Pg- 15-21.
2. Pritchad C.H Peter, Encyclopedia Of Turtles , T.F.H Publications, Pgs: 285 – 295.
8. THREAT
Before the 1800s they were completely wiped from
all islands except for the Aldabra islands.
It was a local custom is Seychelles to mark off a
young tortoise when a child was born and to eat
that tortoise on the child’s wedding day.
In present days, human settlement and loss of
habitat is now an increasing threat to the specie.
There is some suggestion that the Aldabra tortoises
are not reproducing to an extent remotely
comparable to their numbers, that might be due to
not receiving optimal level of nutrition or build in
mechanism which inhabits reproducing due to
crowding in the islands.
Pritchad C.H Peter, Encyclopedia Of Turtles , T.F.H Publications, Pgs: 285 – 295.
9. CONSERVATION
Aldabra atoll is now declared as a world heritage
site to protect it from human settlement and has
breeding colonies set up to bring up the numbers.
Another isolated population of the Aldabra
Giant Tortoise resides on the island of Zanzibar,
and other captive populations exist
in conservation parks in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
The captive breeding programmes on
these islands are to try and revive the species, and
populations on them today appear to be thriving.
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/aldabra-giant-tortoise/
