Reptile
Saddle-backed Rodrigues Giant Tortoise
Cylindraspis vosmaeriAlso known as Rodrigues Saddle-backed Giant Tortoise, Vosmaer's Giant Tortoise
Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoises were tall browsers equipped with remarkably long necks and flared front shell margins that allowed them to reach foliage high off the ground. Huge herds once shaped the native vegetation of Rodrigues, pruning shrubs and dispersing seeds across coastal savannas and limestone forests. Intensive overhunting by sailors for fresh meat, along with the introduction of invasive mammalian predators, drove them to complete extinction around 1800.
HerbivoreIsland Endemic
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyNative tree leaves, Shrub foliage, Endemic fruits
Predators
- Humans
- Introduced pigs
- Introduced rats
ThreatsOverhunting by mariners and habitat disruption by introduced mammals
HabitatsLowland forests, open savannas, and limestone scrub
Life spanEstimated 80–120 years
Classification
- FamilyTestudinidae
- SpeciesCylindraspis vosmaeri
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct species; safe to study via preserved museum specimens.
Responsible observation
- Museum Collections: Examine articulated subfossil skeletons preserved in natural history museums.
- Ecological Reserves: Visit the Francois Leguat Reserve on Rodrigues to see how related giant tortoises reshape the native habitat.
Neighbor Emőke Dénes / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Ecological Analog (c) Eliane Küpfer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Eliane Küpfer · cc-by-sa
Close Relative Paul de Jossigny, published by M. Léon Vaillant / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative (c) Julian P. Hume, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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