World's Most Beautiful Tortoise

One thing that's really cool about radiated tortoises that you'll notice when it rains, they lift their bodies up off the ground just like this. How cool is that? You'll also notice that both Aldabra's and Galapagos tortoises will do it too. There's a couple different theories as to why the tortoises have evolved to do this. Some may think it may have something to do with avoiding some degree of flooding. Nonetheless, they love it when it rains. And when it's hot and humid like this, they love when I just cool them off. And I mean, how cool is that? Just super, super awesome. Is this the world's most beautiful tortoise species? That is the question, my friends. Of course, it comes down to an opinion, but arguably the Madagascan radiated tortoise has long been considered one of, if not the planet's most beautiful tortoise species. So in this video, we're going to tell you a little bit about it. The radiated tortoise, Astrakeles radiata, is a critically endangered tortoise species only found on the beautiful island of Madagascar. Sadly, they are one of the planet's most heavily illegally poached colonial species. And when I say colonial, I mean turtles and tortoises and terrapins. There are some conservation efforts going on for them out there, but despite their critically endangered status, they are doing rather well under responsible captive conditions. And I'm talking about captive bred specimens, not the ones that a lot of people are still poaching out there in Madagascar and or eating. Yes, the locals do unfortunately still eat this beautiful species. And in fact, if I'm not mistaken, all of the tortoise and turtle species found on Madagascar are now some degree of endangered, if not all critically endangered. You got the spider tortoises over there, the plowshare tortoise, the Madagascar big headed turtle. But one thing you're going to notice right off the bat about the radiated tortoise is why it is so coveted. Look at this unbelievable animal. Take a look at this creature before we even go into the obvious coloration and markings. Just look at its shape. Look at how arced or domed the beautiful carapace is, the elephantine legs, the short neck. They're just an aesthetically pleasing animal. So it's really no wonder why so many people want to have them or get their hands on them. This is actually a very straightforward tortoise if you have the room for it. This is an adult female. She's nearing about 13 inches. Males can get larger. And I think the record is around 18 inches. So we're not talking about a small tortoise species. And we're also talking about a tortoise that does not hibernate. So here in New Jersey, we have to have a very massive outdoor pen and a very massive indoor area for them. And, you know, if you guys watch our videos, you know that anything exotic that doesn't hibernate out here comes into our 1200 square foot building where they can safely spend a few months for winter. Radiated tortoises are heavily protected and they're even protected in other countries. So take, for example, the United States. This tortoise cannot be sold or traded across state lines without a specific permit from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. They can be gifted away and obviously placed with zoos, organizations or responsible keepers, as long as no money or trade is involved. But everybody across the world is pretty much trying to keep a heavy eye on this species. And it's really no wonder why. Right off the bat, what I want to point out when you look at this little creep of tortoises here, including Mickey, our big Aldabra, is the lumpy or pyramided shell of this radiated tortoise right here. This is a testament to how hardy they are. This tortoise was raised in very, very poor, overly dry conditions with an improper diet, and she has severely pyramided. This is not what her shell is supposed to look like. This is what her shell is more or less supposed to look like. It's supposed to be close to bowling ball smooth. And as these animals age, they will smooth out even more. Unfortunately, for this animal, she will always look like that. But luckily for her, it's just cosmetic. This goes back to when this animal was just a tiny hatchling. Those first few months, even year or two of their lives is so crucial as far as how they're kept. Now, even though this is basically a scrub or dry land tortoise in Madagascar, just like any baby turtle or tortoise, they're going to subject themselves to a moist microclimate, and that will prevent them from growing like this. Because yes, diet plays a role, but primarily, it's the lack of hydration that causes these tortoises to get such a wonky looking shell. You'll also notice by looking at these tortoises, the degree of yellow or striations on their shell, those radiating lines. You've got some that are almost really black or dark here. And then you've got some that are really yellow because of just how many of those radiating lines they have. And this starts when they're young too. So now that it's raining, let's head on into the nature room. And I'm going to show you guys some young radiated tortoise. Check this out. This is a little two-year-old radiated tortoise that we've been raising. And it is just absolutely beautiful. Look at the intricacy on the shell. This animal will probably get better and better with age. And it's not a morph or anything. It's just this particular animal's genetics and what mom and dad or its grandparents may have looked like. It wasn't born here, but it did come from a friend. And it is just, it's personality too. I mean, look at it. It's like a, it's kind of like Otis, but this is really just a feeding response. This animal really has no interest in me like Otis would. But what I want to point out too, is how this animal is basically a mini version of what it will look like as an adult. It already has that highly domed shell. And most baby radiated have that right out of the egg. They're voracious eaters. And right now I'm just giving it a little treat of romaine. We don't feed too heavily with the romaine lettuce. And we also don't go too nuts with the fruit. I wanted those animals to come to me. So I showed them the treats that they love. But radiated tortoises love to eat flowers and weeds and some grass. And that's really the better stuff that they need to eat. Radiated tortoises are well-established in American collections, despite having heavy laws protecting them. But in the wild, things are getting to be pretty rough. The Turtle Survival Alliance has gone through multiple confiscations of these animals. And we're not talking five, six, seven, or even a dozen or even a hundred of these. We're talking tens of thousands of these tortoises being ripped out of their native Madagascar and being sold illegally on the black market for the pet trade and or food. So this animal is in trouble. And in fact, its numbers have dropped by the millions since the 1970s. Radiated tortoises are a little more common on the island of Madagascar than some of the other tortoise species there. But that honestly doesn't really matter because things are still not looking good for them. And it's no wonder why. Look at the color of these animals. Folks, there is no reason, none whatsoever, to take one of these tortoises out of the wild. Things have gotten so bad that officials are starting to release them on new islands to see if they'll take to those islands where there are no native tortoises to try to get them out of such a terrible situation that they're in. As far as things in captivity go, this animal really is a robust, brawny, adaptive, responsive, and fairly easy to care for tortoise if you have the room for them. What we're just hoping for is that laws will ease up a little bit when it comes to the captive bred animals because those are the animals you do want going to responsible homes. The ones that have not come from the wild. The ones that are used to life in captivity and that are clearly not afraid of people and actually interact with them to some degree. Despite being such a beautiful tortoise and such a coveted tortoise, things still go south for them in captivity as well. And like you saw with the pyramided individual out there, sometimes, believe it or not, this species does end up in situations where it desperately needs a home. And it is because of their size. They're not a small tortoise and they really need to be kept properly. These animals can't be contained in a simple box for their entire lives. When they're young, you keep them in smaller enclosures to make sure that they're getting the proper humidity levels and you can check on them easily. Because a tortoise, a baby, can get lost in its enclosure if it's too big. But once they start approaching this adult size, they need a run, they need a pasture, they need a big pen where they can forage and graze, bask, nest. This is an egg-laying female and right now, I'm sorry girl, right now her eggs just came out of cooling and went into incubation. What I mean by that is, radiated tortoises like some other species like Burmese star tortoises go through a diapause. So the way we incubate them is, right after the female lays them, the eggs go into a 30-day cooling period in a wine cooler. Can you believe that? Check this out. This footage right here is showing you a clutch of eggs inside our wine cooler. They're being kept at 65 days where they will stay primarily dry for 30 days. After day 30, they will come out and for about 24 hours, just sit at room temperature. We'll then moisten up the substrate and put them into incubation. At between 90 and 120 days, if the eggs are fertile, baby radiated tortoises will grace us with their presence. Without a doubt, Madagascar's one and only radiated tortoise is considered quite possibly the world's most beautiful turtle and tortoise. Now, as a turtle and tortoise lover, you probably agree with me that, well, all of the species are beautiful in their own right. I mean, look at eastern box turtles, look at diamondback terrapins, the star tortoises, the Hermann's tortoises, you name it. They're all beautiful in their very own right, their very own special way. But there is no ignoring the fact that the radiated tortoise is an absolutely stunning example of the world's turtles and tortoises. Life for the radiated tortoise in Madagascar is very uncertain as far as the future goes. The situation in the country is not exactly great as far as things go for the locals. So there's a lot of shady stuff going on with radiated tortoises and other wildlife species, unfortunately. But the good news is these animals are very well represented in most captive collections that are allowed to have them and in most countries that are allowed to have them. So I'd love to know what you personally think about the radiated tortoise or what your favorite species is or what you think is the world's most beautiful turtle, tortoise, or terrapin.