Giant Tortoise
Reptile. The giant dome-shaped tortoise has the longest lifespan of all vertebrates. Their sleeping, feeding, and nesting behaviors are very habitual.
Giant Tortoise
No animal is more synonymous with the Galapagos Islands than the giant tortoise.
Aldabra Giant Tortoise Classification and Evolution
The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is a giant species of Tortoise native to the Aldabra Islands in the Indian ocean.
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
Geochelone elephantopus
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This enormous giant tortoise was once so numerous that Spanish explorers of this region named the archipelago after one of its more extraordinary inhabitants; 'Galapagos' means 'tortoise' in Spanish (7).
Giant tortoises dramatically alter their habitat. In large numbers, these plant-eaters graze down acres of tall grasses, bulldoze small trees and shrubs for leaves, and pass seeds-opening paths and supplying food for other animals.
The giant tortoise leads a generally peaceful, lazy life. He wakes up between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning and basks in the sun as his bulky body warms. The rest of the day he spends grazing and browsing.
The giant tortoise sleeps for about sixteen hours each day and keeps cool either by taking mudbaths or by partly submerging itself in water.
Weights and Measures: The Aldabra Giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world.
Most famous are the giant tortoises of islands in the Indian Ocean (Testudo gigantea) and of the Galapagos islands (T. elephantopus). Galapagos tortoises may reach a length of over 4 ft (120 cm) and weigh over 500 lb (225 kg).
Giant tortoises of the genera Geochelone, Meiolania, and others were relatively widely distributed around the world into prehistoric times, and are known to have existed in North and South America, Australia, and Africa.
There are now only 11 types of giant tortoises left in the Galápagos, down from 15 when Darwin arrived.
The African Sulcata Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata), or African Spurred Tortoise, is surpassed in size only by the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles.
Of the four races of giant tortoises once present on islands in the Indian Ocean, only the Aldabra Tortoise survived beyond the beginning of the 19th century.
Another unique attraction on the islands, are the giant tortoises, the giant tortoise is also the islands icon, used on souvenirs, stamps and the National Park logo.
Grubb, P. "The Growth, Ecology, and Population Structure of the Giant Tortoises on Aldabra." Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B, Vol. 260, 1971, pp. 327-372.
Peters, U.W. and E.P. Finne. "First Breeding of the Aldabra Tortoise at Sydney Zoo." ...
Doedicurus was a glyptodont, having a huge domed carapace and looking in the distance like a giant tortoise. The carapace was made up of many tightly fitting scutes, like that of an armadillo, and would have been flexible around the edges.
Captive husbandry and breeding of numerous species including large snakes, venomous snakes, lizards, turtles, giant tortoises and amphibians
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These amazing tortoises, the African Spurred Tortoises (also called the Sulcata Tortoise or Spurred Tortoise) are large, impressive animals. The only larger species of tortoise are the giant tortoises from the Galapagos and Aldabras.
It's recommended to restrict the feeding of cabbages because of the propensity to develop thyroid problems among the giant tortoises due to a lack of dietary iodine.
 See also: Tortoise, Reptile, Shell, Turtle, Burro
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