WION Wonderful World | What is the Aldabra giant tortoise? Meet one of longest living spices PM Modi visited in Seychelles
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "WION Wonderful World | What is the Aldabra giant tortoise? Meet one of longest living spices PM Modi visited in Seychelles")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Seychelles President Patrick Herminie feeds Aldabra Giant Tortoise, the longest-living species native to Seychelles, at the Giant Tortoise Enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden, in Victoria on Saturday. Photograph: (AFP | WION Combination image)
The Aldabra giant tortoise is one of the last surviving giant tortoise species on Earth and is among the world's longest living animals, with some individuals living for more than 200 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Patrick Herminie on Saturday visited the National Botanical Garden in Victoria, soon after the Prime Minister began his official State Visit to the island nation. During the visit, Modi was seen feeding giant tortoises, including the famed 194-year-old Jonathan, recognised as the world's oldest living land animal.
Sharing moments from the visit on X, Modi highlighted the significance of the Aldabra giant tortoise, a species native to Seychelles.
"Visited the Giant Tortoise Enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden with President Dr Patrick Herminie. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise, which is native to Seychelles, is among the largest and longest-living species on Earth, with some of them witnessing over two centuries of history," Modi wrote.
The Prime Minister also noted that the tortoises have become a symbol of friendship between India and Seychelles, recalling that the island nation gifted pairs to the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata in 2014 and to the Hyderabad Zoo a few years later.
One of the largest and longest living tortoise species
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The Aldabra giant tortoise, scientifically known as Aldabrachelys gigantea, is one of the largest and longest living land tortoises in the world. It is found naturally only on the remote Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles, where its isolated habitat helped the species survive while many other giant tortoises disappeared over time.
The species grew to its enormous size through a process known as island gigantism. With no large predators and little competition for food, these tortoises gradually evolved into giant reptiles over many generations. Adult males can weigh up to 250 kilograms and have a shell measuring about four feet in length. They also have powerful elephant-like legs, a long, flexible neck to reach higher vegetation, and a specialised nasal structure that helps them drink from shallow pools.
A key species in Seychelles' ecosystem
Beyond their remarkable size and lifespan, Aldabra giant tortoises play an important role in maintaining their habitat. Their grazing and movement shape the landscape by creating dense plant communities known as tortoise turf. As they feed, they also spread seeds through their dung, helping native plants grow across the islands.
Because of this ecological role, conservationists have introduced colonies of Aldabra giant tortoises to other degraded islands in the Indian Ocean to help restore biodiversity.
