Aldabra Giant Tortoise

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News: Recent study published showed that, Jonathan, the world’s oldest known known living Aldabra Giant Tortoise at 194 years, has 287 unique gene variants that may slow ageing.

About Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Source: popsci
AspectsDetails
About1. It is the world’s second-largest land tortoise species, after the Galapagos giant tortoise.
2. These tortoise have descended from ancestors of Aldabrachelys abrupta, one of two giant tortoises that lived in Madagascar for 15 million years.
Scientific NameIts scientific name is Aldabrachelys gigantea.
Habitat1. These tortoises live on land and inhabit diverse environments such as scrub forests, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes and beaches.
2. Grasslands named “platins” harbour the largest populations of tortoises.
DistributionThese are endemic to the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
Physical Characteristics
  1. They are dark gray to black with a strongly domed, thick shell.
  2. Aldabra tortoises show sexual dimorphism.
  3. Males are much bigger than females and have longer, thicker tails.
LifespanIt has a lifespan of about 100 years.
Diet
  1. They are primarily herbivores.
  2. They eat grasses, leaves, woody plant stems, and fruits.
Behaviour
  1. They are found both individually and in herds.
  2. They are most active in the morning.
  3. They dig wallows, hide under shade trees or in small caves, as well as submerge themselves in pools to keep cool during the heat of the day.
Conservation Status
  • IUCN- Vulnerable
  • CITES- Appendix II
Significance
  1. They are vital in keeping the ecological balance in a habitat mosaic (a place where different habitats exist side by side).
  2. They consume fruits and then spread the seeds through their dung, aiding in megafauna-dependent germination. This facilitates the growth of forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands.
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