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Get Up Close & Personal With The Bronx Zoo's Marvelous Giant Tortoises
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
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Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
Share
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Two giant Aldabra tortoises have moved into the Bronx Zoo, one weighing in at 400 pounds and the other at SIX HUNDRED POUNDS. And they're going to outlive us all—according to the Zoo, these magnificent creatures have a lifespan of at least 200 years.
Aldabras are one of the two remaining giant tortoise species left, and there are thought to be about 100,000 of these left in the wild. While they're terrestrial, they can swim, and "will enter shallow fresh water and occasionally the ocean to aid temperature regulation." Their home at the Zoo has a freshwater pool. But enough with The Facts, check out this tortoise selfie:
Note to the Wildlife Conservation Society: more animal selfies please.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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