Today’s animal is a stocky, sluggish, sizably-shelled titan: the Aldabra giant tortoise! The Aldabrachelys gigantea is found on the Aldabra island group north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Let’s learn more about this tortoise!

Physical Features

• Their shells are dark grey to black.
• Males’ shells can be up to 4 feet long and can weigh 550 lbs. or more.
• Their full lifespan is unknown, but they frequently reach up to 100 years in age.
• They are the largest animal of the Aldabra atoll.

Habitat and Diet

• These herbivores live in mangroves, dunes, and grasslands.
• They knock over trees and shrubs to create “tortoise turf:” areas of 20 different grasses and herbs that evolved due to the animal’s grazing habits.
• They can go without food or water for long periods of time.

Behavior

• Aldabra giant tortoises are found living in herds or individually.
• Males will fight for breeding rights and territory.
• They forage most in the morning. During the hot part of the day, they dig burrows for shade.
• They sleep for up to 18 hours per day.

Conservation

• By 1900, the Aldabra giant tortoise was the last of 18 similar species in its region.
• It is one of the first protected species. Charles Darwin and other scientists worked with the local government to protect them.
• The oldest known living land animal is a Seychelles giant tortoise, a subspecies of the Aldabra. Hatched in 1832, Jonathan is now blind and can’t smell but lives comfortably on St. Helena Island, west of Africa.