Zena is an aldabra tortoise, born around 2005, so she is presently about 17 years old. Aldabra tortoises originated from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles in the Indian ocean. They are on the endangered species list. Their formal name is Geochelone gigantea. They are dark gray to black in color with long necks to help them reach food, they are herbivores and eat grasses and woody plants mostly. They are one of the largest tortoises in the world, and can live from 80-255 years.
The size of females is up to 3 feet shell length, and up to 350 pounds or 159 kg. They are a very social species of tortoise and learn to recognize their keepers readily. They are great swimmers. They reach sexual maturity at 20-30 years, and are generally about 25 years old when they lay eggs. They can produce a clutch of 9-25 eggs but only 3-5 viable offspring per clutch. There are only about 200,000 left on our planet mostly because of loss of habitat.
Zena loves orchard hay, carrots, apples, romaine, oranges, bananas and other vegetables, and tortoise chow. She requires a large area to roam and a heated house for the winter even in Florida. She loves attention and to have her neck rubbed. They seem to enjoy visitors, especially when they bring food for them.
