One Country Has More Giant Tortoises Than People
Tuesday, October 13, 2026111 words2 minutes1347 reads
Aldabra is a group of islands in the Seychelles, a country in the Indian Ocean. Many giant tortoises live there. A new study estimates that almost 183,000 tortoises live on Aldabra. That is more than the number of people in the whole country.
The tortoises hide in thick plants and shade, so workers cannot see every one. The study used counts from 2018 to 2022 and a model to estimate the animals that were missed.
The new estimate does not mean the tortoises nearly doubled in recent years. Earlier surveys may have missed many tortoises. The study says their number grew over a long time and is now healthy and stable.
