Aldabra Giant Tortoise

• TBA

At up to 550 pounds, Aldabra tortoises rank among the largest terrestrial tortoises in the world. Males have longer, thicker tails and are larger than females. Male carapace lengths can reach four feet, and they can weigh as much as 550 pounds. A female's carapace can measure up to three feet in length and weigh up to 350 pounds. The Aldabra tortoise, which weighed 672 pounds and had a high, domed carapace of brown or tan color, was the largest free-roaming tortoise ever documented.

You can't remove a turtle out of its shell because the shell is an integral part of the animal; it's as if they were wearing their bones on the outside of their body. Turtles figured out a really good technique to keep their insides safe, which is why they have shells. They began as large rib bones and expanded from there.

Because of the tortoises' grazing constraints, an unusual environment known as "tortoise turf," a mixture of more than 20 kinds of grasses and herbs, has coevolved. Many of these unique plants are naturally dwarfed, and in order to escape the tortoises' tightly clamping jaws, they develop their seeds closer to the ground rather than from the crowns of the plants.

These tortoises will wallow in mud to protect themselves against mosquitoes. Giant tortoises will sleep an average of 18 hours in a 24-hour period, although this amount varies greatly among individuals.

In Rapunzel's universe, every species of giant tortoise throw sand at the opponent using its mouth or legs causes attacks to miss, and can deflect projectile attacks and coated with dirt and sand.

The Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises are two instances of island gigantism, a phenomenon in which a lack of predators causes a species to grow far larger than its mainland counterparts.

The largest animal on the atoll of Aldabra Island is this tortoise. It serves a purpose that is comparable to that of elephants in Asia and Africa. They are the primary herbivores, much like elephants, and their quest for food will cause noticeable changes to the surrounding environment. It has been observed that tortoises may topple small trees and shrubs in order to get at the leafy greenery. After passing through the digestive system of the tortoise, seeds are subsequently consumed by numerous other species.

The Aldabra tortoise may survive for extended periods of time without food or drink. They mostly eat grasses and woody plants because they are grazers and browsers. When meat is available, they will consume it; they might even consume the bodies of deceased tortoises. Plus, they might consume excrement.

Reproduction

• Sexual maturity: 20–30 years

• Mating season: Mostly wet season

• Courtship: Head bobbing, vocalizations, shell nudging

• Eggs: 10–25 per clutch and Hard-shelled

• Incubation: 110–250 days

• Sex determination: Temperature-dependent

In general, Aldabra giant tortoises are peaceful and non-aggressive, social but not territorial, and males compete with females during the breeding season. They were intelligent enough to recognize certain people or their owners' pets, learn feeding patterns, and have a good memory. This tortoise's friendliness was demonstrated by their frequent approach to people out of curiosity, their tolerance of humans, and their love of gentle touches and scratches.

Threats

• Overhunting by sailors (fresh meat).

• Habitat destruction.

• Introduced predators (rats, cats).

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (VU)

Conservation Efforts

• Habitat protection.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Rescue and rehabilitation centers.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

Conservation Success

• Aldabra Atoll is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Captive breeding programs worldwide.

• Rewilding projects on other islands.

The main population of the Aldabra giant tortoise resides on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. The atoll has been protected from human influence and is home to some 100,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of the animal. Smaller populations of Aldabra giant tortoise in the Seychelles exist on Frégate Island and in the Sainte Anne Marine National Park (e.g. Moyenne Island), where they are a popular tourist attraction.

Another isolated population of the species resides on the island of Changuu, near Zanzibar. Other captive populations exist in conservation parks in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The tortoises exploit many different kinds of habitat, including grasslands, low scrub, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes.

• Movement Pattern: Not Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: 100,000-150,000

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Seychelles

  • Extant: Madagascar; Tanzania

  • Extant & Introduced: Mauritius; Réunion Island

All tortoises are automatically tamed when hatched from an egg, as the survivor is always within 6 radius of the sac hatching. If the tortoise is somehow not tamed at birth, it can be tamed with a whip, any plant materials, buds, seaweed, or eggshells.

Coming soon

• čeština: Želva obrovská

• Deutsch: Aldabra-Riesenschildkröte

• English: Aldabra giant tortoise

• Magyar: aldabrai óriásteknős

• Korean: 알다브라땅거북

• Nederlands: Seychellen Reuzenschildpad

• Português: Tartaruga-de-Seychelles

• Slovenčina: Korytnačka obrovská

• Tagalog: Pagong paglupa ng Seychelles

• TBA

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldabra_giant_tortoise

• https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Aldabrachelys_gigantea

• https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/aldabra-tortoise-fact-sheet/

• https://lazoo.org/explore-your-zoo/our-animals/reptiles/aldabra-tortoise/

• https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/aldabra-tortoise

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9010/12949962

• https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/paul_giamatti_205566?src=t_turtlehttps://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Aldabra-Giant-Tortoise-1043279007

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Aldabra-Giant-Tortoise-1043279007