Aldabra giant tortoise

Physical features

They are sexually dimorphic (the physical appearance of the male and female differs). The tails of the males are thicker and longer than the tails of the females. The males’ carapaces are broader, flatter relative to the females’ domed carapaces.
Males also grow larger than females. The males weigh about 300-550 pounds and the females weigh about 200-300 pounds. The maximum weight of the Aldabra Tortoise is 600 pounds.

Range – They are confined to several islands in Seychelles. The only surviving endemic population is on Aldabra Atoll. They have been introduced to other islands in the Seychelles.

Wild – Variety of grasses, leaves, woody plants
Zoo – Hay, collard greens, romaine lettuce, small amounts of assorted vegetables and fruit, commercially-prepared tortoise diet; They also have access to graze on various grasses, weeds, and other plants within their habitat during the warmer months when they live outdoors.

150-200+ years
- - Lifespan is difficult to track as these animals often outlive the people researching and caring for them. Confirmed ages of 120-176 years are known for some still-living tortoises.

Aldabra atoll is a World Heritage Site and a strict nature reserve. Visitors must have the permission of the Seychelles government to visit the islands. There are no hotels or overnight accommodations and no airport. There is extremely limited ecotourism. Tourists can only stay a few hours and a park ranger must accompany them.
The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles runs a captive breeding program on Silhouette Island (Seychelles).
About 200 tortoises from Aldabra were moved to Curieuse (near the main islands of Seychelles) in the 1970s to establish a breeding colony and allow tourists to see the tortoises “in the wild” without traveling to Aldabra (650 miles from the main islands of Seychelles). However, the population on this island has faced many challenges since then.

There used to be many giant tortoise species in the Seychelles and other Indian Ocean islands, including a separate Genus that is now completely extinct (Cylindraspis). Unfortunately, after being discovered by merchant sailers in the 1600s, nearly all were wiped out after large-scale exploitation for food. Now, only the Aldabra giant tortoise remains.
Zoo Atlanta’s Aldabra tortoises have been trained to follow a target to facilitate moving them. This training helps to facilitate shifting the tortoises into their indoors habitat (particularly in the colder months).

Palkovacs, Eric P., et al. "Are the native giant tortoises from the Seychelles really extinct? A genetic perspective based on mtDNA and microsatellite data." Molecular Ecology 12.6 (2003): 1403-1413.
Animal Diversity Web: animaldiversity.org/Dipsochelys_dussumieri (2008). Accessed 12 October 2023.
Griffiths, O. W. E. N., A. U. R. E. L. E. Andre, and A. R. N. A. U. D. Meunier. "Tortoise breeding and ‘re-wilding’on Rodrigues Island." Chelonian Research Monographs 6 (2013): 178-182.
Hambler, Clive. "Giant tortoise Geochelone gigantea translocation to Curieuse Island (Seychelles): success or failure?." Biological Conservation 69.3 (1994): 293-299.

Updated January 2024