The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the Seychelles, with the nominate subspecies, A. g. gigantea native to Aldabra atoll. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.[7] Historically, giant tortoises were found on many of the western Indian Ocean islands, as well as Madagascar, and the fossil record indicates giant tortoises once occurred on every continent and many islands with the exception of Australia and Antarctica.[8]
Many of the Indian Ocean species were thought to be driven to extinction by over-exploitation by European sailors, and they were all seemingly extinct by 1840 with the exception of the Aldabran giant tortoise on the island atoll of Aldabra.[9] Although some remnant individuals of A. g. hololissa and A. g. arnoldi may remain in captivity,[9] in recent times, these have all been reduced as subspecies of A. gigantea.[6]
^Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). "Geochelone gigantea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T9010A12949962. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T9010A12949962.en.
^"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
^Schweigger, Augustus F. (1812). "Prodromus monographiae Cheloniorum". Königsberger Archiv für Naturwissenschaft und Mathematik 1:271–368, 406–462.
^Duméril, André Marie Constant, and Bibron, Gabriel. (1835). Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Tome Second. Paris: Roret.
^Günther, Albert C.L.G. 1877. The Gigantic Land-Tortoises (Living and Extinct) in the Collection of the British Museum. London: Taylor and Francis, 96 pp.
^ abTurtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., Shaffer, H.B., and Bour, R.]. 2014. Turtles of the world, 7th edition: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution with maps, and conservation status. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 5(7):000.329–479 Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine, doi:10.3854/ crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014.
^Pritchard, Peter C.H. (1979) Encyclopedia of Turtles. Neptune, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd.
^Palkovacs, Eric P.; Gerlach, Justin; Caccone, Adalgisa (2002). "The evolutionary origin of Indian Ocean tortoises (Dipsochelys)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 24 (2): 216–227. doi:10.1016/s1055-7903(02)00211-7. hdl:10161/6529. PMID 12144758. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
^ abPalkovacs, Eric P.; Marschner, Monique; Ciofi, Claudio; Gerlach, Justin; Caccone, Adalgisa (2003). "Are the native giant tortoises from the Seychelles really extinct? A genetic perspective based on mtDNA and microsatellite data" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 12 (6): 1403–1413. Bibcode:2003MolEc..12.1403P. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01834.x. hdl:10161/6530. PMID 12755870. S2CID 10014935. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
and 20 Related for: Aldabra giant tortoise information
The Aldabragianttortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the Seychelles, with...
February 2024, two different species of gianttortoise are found on two remote groups of tropical islands: Aldabra Atoll and Fregate Island in the Seychelles...
mainland species of tortoise in Africa, and the third-largest in the world, after the Galapagos tortoise and Aldabragianttortoise. It is the only living...
Aldabra became a French colony dependency in the 18th century, leading to the exploitation of its natural resources, particularly gianttortoises. After...
Sanskrit) (c. 1750 – 22 March 2006), also spelled Addwaita, was a male Aldabragianttortoise that lived in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India....
Island tortoise (Chelonoidis niger abingdonii), also known as the Pinta gianttortoise, Abingdon Island tortoise, or Abingdon Island gianttortoise, is a...
British herpetologist Edwin Nicholas "Nick" Arnold. The three Aldabra-Seychelles gianttortoise subspecies can be distinguished based on carapace shape, but...
– via Google Books. "Aldabragianttortoise". Idaho Falls Zoo/City of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Retrieved 15 October 2022. "Aldabra Atoll - UNESCO World Heritage...
Aldabrachelys is genus of gianttortoises, including the Aldabragianttortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) native to the Seychelles, as well as two extinct...
George, the iconic last member of Chelonoidis abingdonii, and the Aldabragianttortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea led to the detection of lineage-specific...
government-owned tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabragianttortoises which were originally a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles...
Owen and Mzee are a hippopotamus and an Aldabragianttortoise, respectively, that attracted media attention after forming an unusual bond of friendship...
extant Aldabragianttortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) readily consumed fruit of Adansonia rubrostipa. Other ecological functions of gianttortoises likely...
conservation project relocated Aldabragianttortoise from Aldabra to Curieuse. Today, it is the home of more than 300 Aldabragianttortoise, some staying around...
Woakes, A. J. (1971). "Respiratory exchange and body size in the Aldabragianttortoise". The Journal of Experimental Biology. 55 (3): 651–665. doi:10.1242/jeb...
largest extant freshwater turtle. The Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) and the Aldabragianttortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) are considered the largest...
built 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) of nature paths, and brought and bred Aldabragianttortoises, intending to create an island of extraordinary beauty. Apart from...
fish, such as some varieties of sturgeon and rougheye rockfish, and some tortoises and turtles are thought to be negligibly senescent, although recent research...