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Scientific Name: |
Geochelone gigantea
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Range: |
Aldabra Islands, located in the Indian Ocean north of Madagascar
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Habitat: |
Grasslands, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes
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Natural Diet: |
Vegetation
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Zoo Diet: |
Moistened pellets and vegetables
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Physical
Characteristics:
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The giant Aldabra tortoise can weigh up to 500 pounds and attain a shell length of more than four feet. They are dark gray to black in color. Their carapace, or upper shell, is highly domed. These tortoises can live to be 100 years old.
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Behavior: |
Aldabra tortoises have been known to knock over shrubs and small trees in order to get leaves to eat.
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Reproduction: |
The female lays between 4-14 eggs but only about half of them are fertilized. In warm temperatures, the eggs hatch in about 110 days. In cooler temperatures, the eggs hatch in about 250 days.
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Notes:
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The tortoise’s numbers have drastically declined in the last century. In past centuries, sailors passing the islands captured thousands of tortoises for food. Rats and dogs that were introduced to the island now eat tortoise eggs and young. Aldabra tortoises are officially endangered.
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