Aldabra giant tortoise
These tortoises are found both individually and in herds- they’re one of the more social tortoise species. Aldabra tortoises are the largest animal in their environment.
In the past, at least 18 giant tortoise species used to live throughout the islands of the western Indian Ocean. Through over-exploitation by European sailors, many of these species were made extinct by 1840. Only the Aldabra Giant Tortoise remains.
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- Conservation StatusVulnerable
- Life spanOver 100 years
- Body sizearound 3-4 ft.
- Native habitat Grasslands, coastal dunes, and mangrove swamps of the Aldabra Atoll near Madagascar
- DietLeaves, grasses, fruits, and herbs. Occassionally small invertebrates or carrion