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Topic: Aldabra Giant Tortoise

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	Tortoise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		As with its aquatic cousins, the turtle and the terrapin, the tortoise is shielded from predators by a shell.
		The giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution, since the isolated populations on the different islands, although descended from a common ancestor, had diverged to different forms.
		Aldabra Giant Tortoise Dipsochelys dussumieri from Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Tortoise (519 words)

	Aldabra Giant Tortoise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The neck of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps the animal to exploit tree branches up to a meter from the ground as a food source.
		In captivity, Aldabra Giant Tortoises are known to enjoy fruits such as apples and bananas as well as compressed vegetable pellets.
		The main population of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise resides on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Aldabra_Giant_Tortoise (980 words)

	PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Track the Voyage - THE SEYCHELLES
		All giant tortoises are at home in the water, but, unlike most others of their kind, the giants of Aldabra have a flat nose that enables them to drink through their nostrils when the only water available is held by shallow pools in the coral limestone.
		Although a tortoise requires the heat of the sun to maintain a high enough body temparature if it is to be active enough to feed and move around, by midday the sun is so hot here that unless they can find adequate shade they run the risk of baking alive in their shell.
		The giant tortoises serve as a reminder that the island and its ancient treasures should be left to themselves with their survival ensured, they deserve no less.
	www.pbs.org /odyssey/odyssey/20021211_log_transcript.html (1167 words)

	Aldabra (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Aldabra is part of an archipelago, referred to as the Aldabra Group, comprising Aldabra and Cosmoledo atolls and Astove and Assumption islands.
		Aldabra's vegetation is a unique example of raised coral vegetation that remains largely free of human transformation, and is strongly influenced by a reptilian herbivore, the Giant Tortoise (Gibson and Phillipson 1983).
		Aldabra is of little significance for the 15 species of migrant shorebirds recorded there, with the exception of the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola, which winters in significant numbers (Feare and Watson 1984, Betts 2000).
	www.pps.gov.sc /enviro/html/aldabra.html (2184 words)

	Giant Tortoise
		An Aldabra tortoise weighing 305 kilos (672 pounds) in the Seychelles is the world’s largest free-roaming tortoise.
		Although Aldabra tortoises originally came from a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, known as the Seychelles, only the island of Aldabra still has a population of giant tortoises.
		Tortoises are believed to be the longest-lived animals of all, living to between 100 and 200 years of age.
	www.robstewartphotography.com /facts/Gianttortoise.asp?i_id=345 (423 words)

	Reptiles and Amphibians » Tortoises » Aldabra Giant Tortoise Main Page
		The Aldabras are grazers and feed primarily on grasses, herbs, and sedges.
		Many tortoises migrate closer to the turf during the rainy season, but when the rainy season is over, the tortoises left on the coast have a high fatality rate due to lack of shade and dehydration.
		The Aldabra Tortoise breeds between February and May. Between four and twenty-five eggs are laid by the female, although half of each clutch is usually infertile.
	centralpets.com /animals/reptiles/tortoises/tor2590.html (830 words)

	Ethan Frome (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Giant tortoises are the largest living terrestrial member of the Testudines family and in the past these reptiles populated numerous islands in the Indian Ocean and Galapagos Islands (Gaymer, 1968).
		Tortoise turf is a complex of grasses, herbs, and sedges that have been dwarfed by the grazing pressure of the tortoises.
		On Aldabra the distribution of various types of vegetation is largely determined by the topography of the islands and has been co-evolving with the grazing pressure of the tortoises.
	horticulture.coafes.umn.edu /vd/h5015/99papers/geurts.htm (3154 words)

	Giant tortoise
		Giant tortoises grow steadily for the first 40 years of their lives and, given enough food, can weigh up to 254 kg.
		Conservation news: Giant tortoises were found on all islands in the western Indian Ocean until Mauritius was colonised in the 1600s and an increasing number of settlers and explorers visited the Seychelles islands removing and killing tortoises.
		It was thought that all Seychelles tortoises became extinct around 120 years ago, with the exception of the Aldabran species, until reports of oddly-shaped captive tortoises prompted a re-examination of their identity.
	www.bristolzoo.org.uk /learning/animals/reptiles/giant-tortoise (710 words)

	ANIMAL BYTES - Aldabra Tortoise
		The entire wild population of Aldabras is restricted to the Aldabra Atoll (a small group of coral islands in the island nation of Seychelles, north of Madagascar).
		The Aldabra tortoise is the largest animal on the atoll.
		The Aldabra tortoise is the only remaining species out of 18 former species of tortoise that once flourished on the islands of the Indian Ocean.
	www.seaworld.org /animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordates/craniata/reptilia/testudines/aldabra-tortoise-0.htm (664 words)

	Giant Tortoise
		Tortoises are believed to be the longest-lived animals of all, living to between 100 and 200 years of age—they often outlive the scientists who study them
		Harriet, a giant tortoise at Steve Irwin’s Australia zoo, was originally removed from the Galapagos by Charles Darwin in 1835.
		Giant tortoises do not breed until they are at least 20 years of age.
	www.wildinfo.com /facts/Gianttortoise.asp?page=/facts/Gianttortoise.asp&i_id=345 (464 words)

	Aldabra giant tortoise - Geochelone gigantea: More Information - ARKive
		The Aldabra giant tortoise is indeed a giant, with individuals reaching over 1 metre in length (2).
		Giant tortoises throughout the islands of the Indian Ocean represented an important food source for sailors visiting these shores and live individuals were often captured and stored for meat in the ship's hold.
		The Aldabra species is one of only three giant tortoises in the area to survive today, as a result of this past exploitation (6).
	www.arkive.org /species/GES/reptiles/Geochelone_gigantea/more_info.html (415 words)

	Tortoise at exZOOberance! (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Tortoises are slow-moving animals known for their long life spans, which in some instances may exceed 150 years.
		Tortoises range in size from the Madagascan spider tortoise, which at maturity is about 10 cm (4 in) long, to the Aldabra giant tortoise, which can grow to about 1.4 m (4.5 ft) long and weigh up to 254 kg (560 lb).
		Tortoises are protected by heavy shells composed of an inner, bony layer and an outer layer made of horny plates.
	www.exzooberance.com /virtual%20zoo/they%20walk/tortoise/tortoise.htm (672 words)

	Terrestrial Ecoregions -- Aldabra Island xeric scrub (AT1301)
		It is a critical refuge not only for the giant tortoise but also for 13 endemic bird taxa (2 species and 11 sub-species), including the last flightless bird in the Western Indian Ocean, and also for substantial marine turtle breeding populations and large seabird colonies.
		Although Aldabra is part of the Seychelles, it is distinguished by geographical, geological, and biological differences with the granitic Seychelles.
		Aldabra is the world’s largest raised coral atoll and has an unusually high level of floristic and faunal endemism.
	www.worldwildlife.org /wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at1301_full.html (259 words)

	Lion Country Safari - Animal Information - Aldabra Tortoise
		Aldabra Island is a coral atoll bordered by jagged limestone and small beaches and encloses a large mangrove-bordered
		Aldabra tortoises are remnants of a once widespread tortoise population that lived on islands throughout the Indian Ocean.
		Stearns, B. Captive husbandry and propagation of the Aldabra giant tortoise.
	www.lioncountrysafari.com /AnimalInfo/Aldabra.htm (801 words)

	Ladywildlifes Giant Tortoise Page
		The enormous size and weight of the giant tortoises make them look like throwbacks to another age; in fact, they were isolated on their islands for thousands of years.
		The giant tortoise is a vulnerable animal, despite its armor.
		The Aldabran tortoise float on the surface of the island's lagoon, reaching into the water with their long necks to feed on seaweed..
	ladywildlife.com /animal/gianttortoise.html (800 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Tortoises are known for their slowness of movement and for their long life span (greatest authentic age recorded is 152 years).
		With unlimited vegetation they evolved into giants, with some tortoises growing up to 227kg (500lb) in weight with a carapace of up to 122cm (48ins) in length.
		Aldabra Atoll is protected by the Seychelles Islands Foundation.
	www.paigntonzoo.org.uk /animals/detail.asp?id=180 (166 words)

	Meet Aldabra - the 255 yr-old tortoise : HindustanTimes.com (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The tortoise, however, is the only animal that lives longer than man, the longest living mammal.
		He added that the tortoise at Alipore Zoo belongs to the species found in the Galapagos Archipelago and the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean.
		Giant tortoises reach maturity when they are 30 years old.
	www.hindustantimes.com /news/181_1349357,000600010003.htm (421 words)

	Giant Tortoises \| Animal Facts \| Chaffee Zoological Gardens of Fresno (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The Aldabra tortoise is the earth (geo) turtle (chelone) that is pretty big (gigantea).
		Most of the giant ones were eliminated by shipboard hunters looking for meat over the last couple of centuries.
		The typical tortoise, with the high, domed shell and elephantine feet, is the largest of all turtles except the very biggest sea turtles.
	www.chaffeezoo.org /animals/giantTortoises.html (260 words)

	Aldabra Atoll in the Western Indian Ocean (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The total size of the Aldabra’s giant tortoise population in 1997 is estimated to be 100,000, with 94,000 on Grande Terre; 4,000 on Ile Malabar and 2,000 on Picard.
		Analytical capability should be enhanced through further development of a tortoise population model and easy to use spreadsheet, to provide monthly, seasonal and annual tortoise population estimates from transect data.
		Having established Aldabra as a World Heritage Site, justified on the basis of its unique environment, conservation importance and scientific interest; and recently having invested heavily in the rehabilitation of research and accommodation facilities, it is only logical that scientific interest and a scientific presence be maintained on the atoll.
	homepage.ntlworld.com /ergo.www/aldabra1997.htm (900 words)

	Aldabra Tortoise (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, introduced populations on Seychelles islands of Fregate, Cousin, Mahe, and Curieuse.
		Area contains "tortoise turf"--a complex of 21 grass, sedge, and herb species, more than half of which are genetically dwarfed.
		Primarily herbivorous, but also eat crab, carrion, and carcasses of dead tortoises.
	www.honoluluzoo.org /aldabra_tortoise.htm (160 words)

	PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Voice from the Sea
		(By the way; if you hit a tortoise at 100 miles an hour, your plane feels it, so you would have to fence the tortoises off the runway to prevent that, but that would be a disaster for them since the runway would occupy most of their grazing land).
		At Aldabra there are no such villages, and as a result, it is only reasonable to expect that the pressures to build them, or their social equivalents will be intense.
		That means that whenever an idea as shortsighted as putting a luxury hotel on Aldabra comes up (and such foolish ideas come up with clocklike regularity) conservationists have each and every time to find some way to defeat it, or the island, the birds, the whales, the habitat, whatever, is lost forever.
	www.pbs.org /odyssey/voice/20040405_vfts_transcript.html (1565 words)

	Tortoise @ BaseballLiving.com
		A giant aldabra tortoise thought to be around 250 years old has died in the Kolkata zoo of liver failure, Indian authorities said on Thursday.
		A giant aldabra tortoise thought to be around 250 years old and once the pet of Robert Clive died in Kolkata zoo.
		KOLKATA (Reuters) - A giant aldabra tortoise thought to be around 250 years old has died in the Kolkata zoo of liver failure, authorities said on Thursday.
	www.baseballliving.com /about/Tortoise (328 words)

	Aldabra Giant Tortoise Photo \| TrekNature
		The Aldabra tortoise was one of the first species to be protected to ensure its survival.
		They are the remnants of a larger population of tortoises in the Indian Ocean.
		It is believed that tortoises are the longest lived of all animals.
	treknature.com /gallery/South_America/.../Buenos_Aires/photo2656.htm (856 words)

	Resources on Brazilian Giant Tortoise academic institutions
		TTN 1:16-17:...âMany giant tortoises on oceanic islands have already been driven to extinction over the last three centuries because of human exploitation.
		July 17, 2005 Â· Owen the hippo and Mzee the giant tortoise are survivors.
		IGTOA Newsletter:...used for the artificial incubation of tortoise eggs at the Llerena Giant Tortoise...
	mongabay.org /conservation/Brazilian_Giant_Tortoise.htm (2625 words)

	ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Giant tortoises of several species were once found on about 30 islands in the Indian Ocean.
		A lone species, the Aldabra giant tortoise, Geochelone gigantea, survives today on South Aldabra Island in the Seychelles.
		Young tortoises were eaten by domesticated animals or had to compete with adult tortoises for food.
	www.seychelles.net /asmad/asmad/environmental_issues.htm (243 words)

	Oakland Zoo: Aldabra Tortise (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Conical “pyramiding “ of the carapace scutes is a common growth defect in captive tortoises, related to a dietary deficiency and possibly to too-rapid growth.
		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.
		In the late 1880’s Charles Darwin and other eminent naturalists signed a formal petition with the hope of saving the Aldabra Tortoise, which led to their protection.
	www.oaklandzoo.org /atoz/azaltort.html (388 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		A giant tortoise in a Kolkata zoo believed to be 255 years old is ailing as caretakers struggle to keep it alive.
		The tortoise has a ventral infection and has been refusing food and drink for the past week, say veterinary doctors.
		According to the Director of Alipore Zoo Dr S Choudhury it is an Aldabra giant tortoise brought to the zoo in 1875.
	www.ndtv.com /environment/Wildlife.asp?id=83993&callid=1 (184 words)

	Resources on Aldabra Giant Tortoise academic institutions
		Saddleback College:...into the curiously champignon shape of giant stony mushrooms.
		:...a few species, such as the giant tortoises of the...
		TORTOISE BITES:...they can pat the Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises and feed...
	mongabay.org /conservation/Aldabra_Giant_Tortoise.htm (479 words)

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