Aldabra giant tortoise

This species is found naturally on three of the islets of the Aldabra Atoll, a small group of coral islands. Over 90% of the population is found on the largest islet of Grande-Terre and the tortoises here are highly sociable compared to those on the other islets.

Water scarcity and inadequate food on Grande-Terre have inhibited the growth of individual tortoises. They should be ready to mate at 20 to 30 years of age but many do not reach sexual maturity.

Perhaps this long wait before they come of age is why they sound so excited during courtship. Tortoises have a wide repertoire of grunts, hisses, squeaks and sighs. During their prolonged mating ritual, they emit the strangest barking noises you’d never imagine coming from a tortoise. Perfect for Jurassic Park’s sound designer, looking to voice creatures no-one has heard before. The barks of the raptors in the movie’s famous kitchen scene were made by a mating tortoise!