The Aldabra giant tortoise is one of the biggest tortoises in the world and it can reach a very old age. They can reach the age of 150 years and the oldest one ever recorded reached an age of 255 years. It is estimated that the largest specimen in Odense Zoo was born in 1959.
If the Aldabra giant tortoise is attacked by a predator, it draws its head in under its shell and places its front legs up in front of its head as protection. It has a long neck and the shell curves in such a way that it can stretch its head up and eat leaves as high up as one meter
above the ground.
At Odense ZOO, we try to get the tortoises to mate by separating them during the winter.
This way the females are more interested in the males during the summer.