Growing Wild

The Aldabra Giant Tortoises are the oldest residents at Melbourne Zoo. They eat grass, herbs, leaves, and woody stems, and can weigh up to 250kgs! Classed as vulnerable, these slow movers are from the Seychelles, a group of islands off East Africa, but have been introduced elsewhere too.

Visitors to Melbourne Zoo love to connect with these delightful animals. Meerkats are small, measuring about 26–28cm, and just love to dig. We have the Slender-tail Meerkats that are found across southern Africa. Our meerkats spend most of the day foraging for food with a lookout always standing guard, watching for predators.