One female typically lays eggs in November and again in January, providing the weather is warm enough to go outside for laying. The zoo also incubates their eggs artificially, keeping two separate incubators at 27 °C (81 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). On average, the eggs kept at the latter temperature hatch in 107 days. Conservation The Aldabra giant tortoise has an unusually long history of organized conservation. Albert Günther of the British Museum, who later moved to the Natural History Museum of London (enlisting Charles Darwin and other famous scientists to help him) worked with the government of Mauritius to establish a preserve at the end of the 19th century. The related, but distinct, species of giant tortoise from the Seychelles islands (Seychelles giant tortoise A. g. hololissa and Arnold's giant tortoise A. g. arnoldi) were the subject of a captive-breeding and reintroduction program by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles. A reference genome and low-coverage sequencing analyses has looked at revealing within- and among-island genetic differentiation within the Aldabra population, as well as assigning likely origins for zoo-housed individuals. This has managed to differentiate between individuals sampled on Malabar and Grande Terre and resolve the exact origin of zoo-housed individuals. References External links Sea World Animal Bytes Aldabra giant tortoise at EMY System and World Turtle Database Seychelles Giant Tortoise Conservation Project Encyclopedia of Life Aldabrachelys Turtles of Africa Fauna of Seychelles Reptiles described in 1812 Articles containing video clips Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN