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  • Aldabra giant tortoise

Aldabra giant tortoise

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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

More than 100 years

Diet

Diet

Vegetation

Habitat

Habitat

Grassy areas

Range

Range

Aldabra Atoll,

Indian Ocean

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The giant tortoises

On the Aldabra

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.

 

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Loud courtship

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!

The family

Claude, Belle, Andrea, Casela... Join reptile keeper Michael to get acquainted with some of these gentle giants.

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Together, we protect wildlife

Providing world-class care

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Reaching further heights

Our tortoises are fed a variety of vegetables, including kang kong, sweet potato leaves, celery, cucumber and turnip. With welfare and enrichment in mind, keepers whip up vegetarian ‘kebabs’ by stringing some veggies together and tying them up just above reach. These tempting treats ‘stretch’ their chelonian charges physically and mentally by developing problem-solving skills and encouraging the display of natural behaviour, like reaching for vegetation at higher ground.

Conserving biodiversity

Lone survivor

Lone survivor

At least 18 different species of land tortoises used to live in the Indian Ocean region. All except the Aldabra have been driven to extinction by sailors who harvested them for food on long voyages and by introduced species such as rats, cats and pigs that preyed on their eggs and hatchlings.

The IUCN Status

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

Island-hopping

Island-hopping

In the 1880s, the esteemed Charles Darwin and other conservationists initiated the protection of the Aldabra tortoises. They were one of the first species to be conserved to ensure its survival. A breeding population was set aside on neighbouring Mauritius. Aldabra Atoll is now a World Heritage Site.

The IUCN Status

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

Protection needed

Protection needed

The level of protection instituted by the Seychelles government has seen Aldabra tortoise populations growing steadily and there are now an estimated 100,000 on the atoll. Nevertheless, the species remains at risk due to habitat encroachment by humans and rising sea levels brought on by global warming.

The IUCN Status

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

Encounters with wildlife

Giant Tortoise Feeding

REPTILE GARDEN 1.15PM

Climb into the home of our long-living residents for an intimate encounter! Get close enough to feel the scutes of their shells, and hand-feed them with yummy cherry tomatoes. 

S$ 8.00 /food portion
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