SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE CARAPACE
MELBOURNE Zoo’s slowest are waddling to the big scales and sticking their necks out to help keepers record their otherwise speedy growth.
Since arriving from Mauritius last year, the six young Aldabra giant tortoises have undergone important
training to make measuring their rapidly increasing size and weight a seamless process.
The tortoises are monitored using a measuring tape and scales, where keepers have recorded their weight increase of up to 30kg.
Ectotherm keeper Raelene Hobbs said training the tortoises to use the
scales was essential to maintaining their long-term health.
“We keep track of their weight fluctuations and the size of their carapace – the hard upper shell – to ensure we are providing the right nutritional support in order to meet their development milestones,” Ms Hobbs said.
The tortoises can weigh up to 100kg for females and more than 200kg for males. They are one of the last surviving species of giant tortoise left in the wild.
Zoo visitors will have the opportunity to observe the tortoises during their weigh-in training sessions up close.