In the Casela bird park there is not
only birds but you will also be able to see tortoises.
One of the tortoise species in Mauritius is the Aldabra.
The Aldabra tortoise is from the Aldabra Island and has
been introduced in Seychelles and also in Mauritius.
They make part of the “testudinidae” family. The
scientific name is “Geochelone gigantia”. This tortoise
is the second largest one in the world. It is a real
giant tortoise as the Galapagos tortoise. The Aldabra
Tortoise can weight between 250 and 300 kg for a male
and a female between 100 and 150 kg. The carapace of the
male can have a length average of 120 cm and the female
90 cm. Aldabra tortoises are generally herbivores, they
eat leaves and grasses,when they in captivity they enjoy
eating fruits as bananas and apples.It is sometimes
quite difficult to make the difference with the Aldabra
and the Galapagos. It is estimated that there is over
140,000 wild Aldabra tortoises on Aldabra Island. The
Aldabra tortoises can have duration of life of over 100
years. The Galapagos Tortoises are the biggest tortoise
in the world. The Radiata tortoise is also one of the
species that can be found in Mauritius. These tortoises
are native from Madagascar. They can weight till 16 kg.
It is a very attractive tortoise; the dark carapace has
yellow shinning lines.
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