Features of tortoise mortality and decomposition on Aldabra

Abstract

Apart from predation on tortoise eggs and young tortoises by crabs and birds, the Aldabran giant tortoise population is virtually unaffected by predators. The decomposition of a series of tortoise bodies, with known dates of death, was monitored for periods up to 18 months. The rate of carapace disintegration provides a useful means of introducing a temporal component to the analysis of mortality data.