Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Geochelone gigantea

Last updated: April 2, 2023
Verified by: AZ Animals Staff
© User: WL / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License / Original

One got to be 255 years old!


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Aldabra Giant Tortoise Scientific Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Testudines
Family
Testudinidae
Genus
Geochelone
Scientific Name
Geochelone gigantea

Read our Complete Guide to Classification of Animals.

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Conservation Status

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Locations

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Locations

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Facts

Prey
Grasses, Leaves, Flowers
Name Of Young
Hatchling
Group Behavior
  • Herd
Fun Fact
One got to be 255 years old!
Estimated Population Size
200,000
Biggest Threat
Habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature
Large, high-domed shell
Other Name(s)
Giant Tortoise
Incubation Period
8 months
Age Of Independence
3 - 6 months
Habitat
Grasslands and swamps
Predators
Giant Crab, Humans, Cats
Diet
Herbivore
Lifestyle
  • Diurnal
Common Name
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Number Of Species
1
Location
Aldabra atoll in the Indian Ocean
Average Clutch Size
15
Slogan
One got to be 255 years old!
Group
Reptile

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Physical Characteristics

Color
  • Brown
  • Black
  • Tan
Skin Type
Scales
Top Speed
0.3 mph
Lifespan
80 - 255 years
Weight
150kg - 250kg (330lbs - 550lbs)
Length
90cm - 120cm (3ft - 4ft)
Age of Sexual Maturity
20 - 30 years

View all of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise images!



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Classification and Evolution

Aldabra giant tortoises are the only surviving members of the

Aldabrachelys

genus.

©Aiwok, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – License

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is a massive, long-necked reptile endemic to the Aldabra Islands off the East Coast of Africa. The Aldabra giant tortoise is among the biggest types of land tortoise and longest-living animals on the planet, with one Aldabra Giant Tortoise living to the impressive age of 255 years old. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is the last living species of Indian ocean giant Tortoise species alive today as others such as the Seychelles Giant Tortoise fell extinct soon after the arrival of humans to this region. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise and the Seychelles Giant Tortoise share many characteristics, to the point where much debate has arisen as to their true classification.

Anatomy and Appearance

Largest Tortoise - Aldabra giant tortoise on the beach

Aldabra giant tortoises are perfectly adapted to life on the sandy shores of a mangrove beach.

©Jan Bures/Shutterstock.com



The Aldabra Giant Tortoise has a massive defensive shell known as a carapace that protects the vulnerable, soft body within. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is also notable for its long, craning neck that it uses to eat leaves from low hanging branches. The male Aldabra Giant Tortoise grows to an average size of 1.1 meters long, with females being slightly smaller at a length of 0.9 meters. The males are considerably heavier, despite not being much larger, weighing up to 100kg more than their female counterparts. Their sturdy, shovel-like feet provide them with traction for walking across unyieldy sands.

Distribution and Habitat

Aldabra giant tortoises only live in the island nation of the Seychelles.

©22Images Studio/Shutterstock.com

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise mainly dwells in the grassy and swampy regions of the Aldabra Atoll (a mass of coral that partially or wholly obscures a lagoon), which is a portion of the Seychelles chain of islands in the Indian Ocean. They once shared these islands with a number of other giant Tortoise species, but many of these were hunted to extinction in the 1700s and 1800s. Although the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is usually found in areas of dense, low-lying vegetation, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is also known to wander into more sparse, rocky regions when food is in short supply. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise can also often be found resting in the shade, or in a very shallow pool of water to cool itself down in the heat.

Behavior and Lifestyle

Aldabra giant tortoises are highly social amongst themselves.

©David Stanley / CC BY 2.0, Flickr – License

Aldabra Giant Tortoises are known to travel solitarily, as well as in packs, which primarily congregate in spacious, grassy fields. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise do most of their eating in the early morning hours when they can forage in the light without the full force of the daytime sun’s heat. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise have also been seen digging burrows into the sand in order to cool off and escape the heat. Despite being slow and cautious animals, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is said to be uninterested in the presence of people, indicating that one of the reasons that they were so easy for Human settlers to hunt, was simply because these animals had no fear of them.

Reproduction and Life Cycles

Aldabra giant tortoises metabolize incredibly slowly.

©Yotcmdr, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons – License

Aldabra Giant Tortoise mothers lay around 25 eggs of a rubber-like texture sometime after February begins and before May ends. They bury their eggs in a dry, shallow pit that is easily raided by predators if left unguarded. Biologists believe that female Aldabra Giant Tortoises are able to produce more than one clutch a year, which typically hatch after an 8 month process of incubation. The baby Aldabra Giant Tortoises tend to all emerge during the same two-week period which coincides with the arrival of the rainy season. They are very slow-growing reptiles and often do not reach sexual maturity until they are between 20 and 30 years old. Although some individuals have been known to live for more than 250 years, most live to be between 80 and 120 years old. Learn more about the oldest animals on earth here.

Diet and Prey

What Do Tortoises Eat
Tortoises of all sizes eat vegetables, fruits, plants, and fungi in the wild.

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is an herbivore, spending a significant portion of its time searching for sustenance in its surrounding well-vegetated environment. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is commonly seen in places that are referred to as “Tortoise Turf”, which offer a buffet of more than 20 varieties of herbs and grasses for these reptiles to snack on. Aldabra Giant Tortoises also eat leaves, berries, fruits and nuts from the foliage and are known to actually reach up on their hind legs to nibble on the treats slightly higher up. One of the biggest blows for the species with the introduction of domestic animals to the islands was that they had competition for food that wasn’t there before. Goats are known to graze very quickly, munching their way through vast areas of the Tortoise’s native habitat.

Predators and Threats

Aldabra Giant Tortoises were hunted by early human settlers of the Aldabra Atoll.

©User: WL / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License

Due to their gargantuan size relative to the other creatures native to their island, Aldabra Giant Tortoises did not initially have any natural predators (with the exception being eggs and baby tortoises that fell victim to a species of Crab that inhabits sandy tunnels on the atoll). This changed when the first humans arrived and introduced domesticated animals like Dogs and Goats, which would eat the tortoises themselves as well as feeding on the vulnerable young. Today, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is most threatened by habitat loss from growing Human settlements, with climate change becoming an increasingly bigger threat to the species in the future.

Interesting Facts and Features

Aldabra Giant Tortoises could be greatly affected by climate change.

©Arpingstone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons – License

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise has now had four scientific names to date, mainly due to the fact that there are ongoing arguments about their similarity to other large Indian Ocean Tortoise species including the possibly extinct Seychelles Giant Tortoise. Despite population numbers having dropped through hunting, habitat loss, and the introduction of new predators, one of the biggest threats to the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is the rising sea level, caused by climate change. The islands that these tortoises live on are only a few meters above sea level and are therefore at great risk from these rising waters.

Relationship with Humans

Aldabra giant tortoises have a tenuous relationship with humans, though they can make great pets for caring owners.

©NOAA Photo Library / CC BY 2.0, Flickr – License

Before the 1700s, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise had no significant predators or competition for food, with all populations of the various giant Tortoise species thought to have been healthy. However, the people that arrived on the islands found both the Tortoises and their eggs, easy to catch and kill and somewhat good to eat, with mass hunting wiping out nearly all of them in less than 100 years. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise was also eaten by the domestic animals that arrived with people, with their ground-dwelling nests being particularly vulnerable. They have also now lost much of their natural habitat due to expanding Human settlements throughout the atoll.

Conservation Status and Life Today

Conservation efforts have helped protect the Aldabra giant tortoise from extinction.

©Muhammad Mahdi Karim / Creative Commons – License

Today, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is listed as an animal that is Vulnerable to extinction in the wild. However, the Aldabra atoll has now been protected from human interference after being declared a World Heritage Site and boasts a population of around 152,000 Aldabra Giant Tortoises, the world’s most stable and populous group. Other smaller families of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise dwell on Zanzibar, and Mauritius and Rodrigues are home to some small populations in captivity in conservation parks and zoos. The captive breeding programs on these islands are to try and revive the species, and populations on them today appear to be thriving.

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About the Author

My name is Corinna! In my profile photo you can see me with one of my two cats, Bisky! The other's name is Yma and she's a beautiful black Bombay kitty. I'm 24 years old and I live in Birmingham, AL with my partner Anastasia and like to spend my free time making music, collecting records and reading. Some other animals I've owned were a hamster, 2 chihuahuas and many different kinds of fish.

Aldabra Giant Tortoise FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

Are Aldabra Giant Tortoises herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises are Herbivores, meaning they eat plants.

What Kingdom do Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to the Kingdom Animalia.

What phylum to Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to the phylum Chordata.

What family do Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to the family Testudinidae.

What order do Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to the order Testudines.

What type of covering do Aldabra Giant Tortoises have?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises are covered in Scales.

What genus do Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises belong to the genus Geochelone.

Where do Aldabra Giant Tortoises live?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises live in the Aldabra atoll in the Indian Ocean.

In what type of habitat do Aldabra Giant Tortoises live?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises live in grasslands and swamps.

What are some predators of Aldabra Giant Tortoises?

Predators of Aldabra Giant Tortoises include giant crabs, humans, and cats.

How many eggs do Aldabra Giant Tortoises lay?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises typically lay 15 eggs.

What is an interesting fact about Aldabra Giant Tortoises?

One Aldabra Giant Tortoise got to be 255 years old!

What is the scientific name for the Aldabra Giant Tortoise?

The scientific name for the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is Geochelone gigantea.

What is the lifespan of an Aldabra Giant Tortoise?

Aldabra Giant Tortoises can live for 80 to 255 years.

How many species of Aldabra Giant Tortoise are there?

There is 1 species of Aldabra Giant Tortoise.

What is the biggest threat to the Aldabra Giant Tortoise?

The biggest threat to the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is habitat loss.

What is another name for the Aldabra Giant Tortoise?

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is also called the giant tortoise.

How many Aldabra Giant Tortoises are left in the world?

There are 200,000 Aldabra Giant Tortoises left in the world.

How fast is an Aldabra Giant Tortoise?

An Aldabra Giant Tortoise can travel at speeds of up to 0.3 miles per hour.

How to say Aldabra Giant Tortoise in ...
Czech
Želva obrovská
German
Aldabra-Riesenschildkröte
English
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Spanish
Geochelone gigantea
Finnish
Aldabranjättiläiskilpikonna
French
Tortue géante des Seychelles
Hungarian
Aldabrai óriásteknős
Italian
Geochelone gigantea
Japanese
アルダブラゾウガメ
Malay
Kura-kura Aldabra
Dutch
Aldabra-reuzenschildpad
Polish
Żółw olbrzymi
Swedish
Aldabrasköldpadda
Chinese
亞達伯拉象龜

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.

Sources
  1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2011) Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide To The World's Wildlife
  2. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals
  3. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia
  4. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species
  5. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals
  6. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals
  7. About Aldabra Giant Tortoises, Available here: http://www.reptilesweb.com/reptiles-section/tortoise-world/aldabra-giant-tortoise.html
  8. Aldabra Giant Tortoise Information, Available here: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversity/endangered-species/geochelone-gigantea/index.html

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