Summary
Aldabrachelys abrupta, the abrupt giant tortoise, is an extinct species of giant tortoise that was endemic to Madagascar.
| Aldabrachelys abrupta Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Carapace | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Testudinidae |
| Genus: | Aldabrachelys |
| Species: | †A. abrupta
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| Binomial name | |
| †Aldabrachelys abrupta Grandidier, 1868[1]
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Ecology edit
It was a large species, roughly 115 cm in length. It was originally one of the six endemic tortoise species of Madagascar (two large Aldabrachelys; three medium Astrochelys; two small Pyxis).[3] It was sympatric with the other giant tortoise species of Madagascar, Grandidier's giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys grandidieri (also extinct)), and both species occupied both the coasts and the cooler highlands of Madagascar, where they fulfilled the role of large grazers. A. abrupta was a browser of bushes and low-hanging branches; A. grandidieri was a grazer of grassy meadows and wetlands.
Unlike its sister species, which had a low, flattened shell, A. abrupta had a high, domed shell.
Extinction edit
Material of this species has been dated to 750–2850 years before present (c. 830 BC - c. 1270 AD), and it seems to have been widely distributed throughout Madagascar. It was estimated to have gone extinct between c. 1200 - 1300 AD. However, remains with disputed dating have suggested that some survived up until at least 1500, and it seems to have survived a considerable time in coexistence with humans, before it finally died out.[4]
References edit
- ^ Grandidier, A. 1868. Sur les découvertes zoologiques faites récemment à Madagascar. Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Zoologie et Paléontologie, Paris (5)10:375–378.
- ^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 265. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755.
- ^ Kehlmaier, Christian; Graciá, Eva; Ali, Jason R.; Campbell, Patrick D.; Chapman, Sandra D.; Deepak, V.; Ihlow, Flora; Jalil, Nour-Eddine; Pierre-Huyet, Laure; Samonds, Karen E.; Vences, Miguel; Fritz, Uwe (2023-01-13). "Ancient DNA elucidates the lost world of western Indian Ocean giant tortoises and reveals a new extinct species from Madagascar". Science Advances. 9 (2): eabq2574. Bibcode:2023SciA....9.2574K. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abq2574. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 9833658. PMID 36630487.
- ^ Rhodin, AGJ, Thomson, SA, Georgalis, GL, Karl, H-V, Danilov, IG, Takahashi, A, de la Fuente, MS, Bourque, JR, Delfino, M, Bour, R, Iverson, JB, Shaffer, HB, and van Dijk, PP. 2015. Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity: First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) 5(8):000e.1–66. doi:10.3854/crm.5.000e.fossil.checklist.v1.2015
External links edit