FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Aldabrachelys gigantea

Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), a huge domed tortoise.

Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), Seychelles.

Image: NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Reptiles & Amphibians
Population trend
Stable
Last verified

Conservation overview

The Aldabra giant tortoise is one of the largest tortoises in the world and survives in large numbers on a single Indian Ocean atoll. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It is a long-lived grazer that shapes its island's vegetation.

Range & habitat

Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, with introduced populations elsewhere.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • A range concentrated on one atoll
  • Vulnerability to sea-level rise and disasters
  • Past historical exploitation

Why it matters

One of only two surviving giant tortoise lineages on Earth, the Aldabra giant tortoise is a flagship for island conservation and a grazing 'ecosystem engineer'.

Gallery

An Aldabra giant tortoise grazing.

Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), Seychelles.

Image: NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Aldabra giant tortoise different from the Galápagos giant tortoise?
They are unrelated giant tortoises on opposite sides of the world: Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, Galápagos in the Pacific. Both reached great size on isolated islands, an example of island gigantism.
Why is the Aldabra giant tortoise Vulnerable despite large numbers?
Almost the whole wild population lives on one atoll, so it is highly exposed to disasters and sea-level rise. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.

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