Aldabra Giant Tortoise Skull

Description

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Skull Replica measures 4.8 inches. Aldabra Giant Tortoise Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

Aldabra giant tortoises or Aldabrachelys gigantea are found on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, and they are one of the largest tortoises in the world. Aldabra giant tortoises live in mangrove swamps and coastal dune areas to grasslands and scrub forests. Aldabra giant tortoises are mostly herbivores.

Primarily herbivores, Aldabra giant tortoises or Aldabrachelys gigantea eat grasses, leaves, and woody plant stems. They occasionally indulge in small invertebrates and carrion, even eating the bodies of other dead tortoises.

In captivity, Aldabra giant tortoises are known to consume fruits such as apples and bananas, as well as compressed vegetable pellets. Little fresh water is available for drinking in the tortoises’ natural habitat, so they obtain most of their moisture from their food.

The Aldabra giant tortoise or Aldabrachelys gigantea has two main varieties of shells. Specimens living in habitats with food available primarily on the ground have more dome-shaped shells with the front extending downward over the neck.

Those living in an environment with food available higher above the ground have more flattened top shells with the front raised to allow the neck to extend upward freely.

Aldabra giant tortoises are found both individually and in herds, which tend to gather mostly on open grasslands. They are most active in the mornings, when they spend time browsing for food. They dig burrows or rest in swamps to keep cool during the heat of the day.

While they are characteristically slow and cautious, they are capable of appreciable speed. They are also known to attempt perilous acrobatic feats, rising precariously on their hind legs to reach low branches.

As the largest animal in its environment, the Aldabra giant tortoise or Aldabrachelys gigantea performs a role similar to that of the elephant. Their vigorous search for food fells trees and creates pathways used by other animals.

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Aldabrachelys
Species: A. gigantea
Binomial name: Aldabrachelys gigantea
Conservatoin status: Vulnerable

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