Centenarian Giant Tortoise Gets Total Adoration

May 29, 2020

An Aldabra giant tortoise by the name of Galileo is reportedly the oldest living land animal. According to his owners, Galileo is somewhere between 250 and 300 years old and still going strong. He currently lives in Le Domaine de Fontenay lodge, on the flanks of Amber Mountain National Park in Madagascar.

The world has always been fascinated by turtles and tortoises. And why not? They're pretty amazing animals, and their varieties include everything from tiny critters you can hold in your hand all the way up to massive giants who weigh hundreds of pounds.

Galileo the giant tortoise has been around for quite a while. In fact, this beautiful creature is believed to be over 200 years old! It's pretty common for giant tortoises to live beyond 150 years. Currently well past that age, Galileo is surprisingly energetic!

In this video, Galileo the Aldabra giant tortoise is seen eating a snack. When you watch the video, you'll see that he is very attentive and interested in his delicious snack. As he eats slices of watermelon –– rind and all –– Galileo seems right at home with his human friends.

He seems pretty happy about the snack, and he even appears to be giving high-fives as he enjoys his food. Nearby, a child hands another piece of watermelon to the adult who's feeding the tortoise. Galileo remains pretty calm about the whole interaction, though he's certainly busy with the eating routine, and he's definitely interested in the food.

Since tortoises eat a variety of foods, mostly vegetables and grasses, fruits are sometimes a special treat for a tortoise. Galileo likes his watermelon, which is no surprise; it was certainly a refreshing choice on what seems to have been a warm day.

Galileo lives at Amber Mountain National Park near Joffreville, in northern Madagascar. According to MadaMagazine, Amber Mountain is one of Madagascar's first and oldest official national parks. The park is also home to dozens of species of birds, mammals and reptiles. With its rain-forest climate, it's the perfect place for many of Madagascar's native plants and animals.

When it comes to size, according to Reptiles Magazine, Galapagos tortoises are definitely the largest tortoises overall. But Aldabra tortoises, like Galileo, are the next largest in size. Both of these tortoise species are renowned for their impressive size and long lifespan.

Galileo has earned fame as one of the oldest giants in his world. And he's loving the attention he gets as he enjoys himself. His human friends enjoy him, too. After all, it's not every day that you get to see a tortoise up close. Have you met any giant tortoises lately? How old were they? Tell us about them! And tell a friend about Galileo, one of the world's oldest tortoises!