It was a large species, roughly 115 cm in length. It was originally one of the six endemic tortoise species of Madagascar (two large Aldabrachelys; three medium Astrochelys; two small Pyxis).[1] It was sympatric with the other giant tortoise species of Madagascar, Grandidier's giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys grandidieri (also extinct)), and both species occupied both the coasts and the cooler highlands of Madagascar, where they fulfilled the role of large grazers. A. abrupta was a browser of bushes and low-hanging branches; A. grandidieri was a grazer of grassy meadows and wetlands.
Unlike its sister species, which had a low, flattened shell, A. abrupta had a high, domed shell.
Extinction
Material of this species has been dated to 750–2850 years before present (Шаблон:Circa - Шаблон:Circa), and it seems to have been widely distributed throughout Madagascar. It was estimated to have gone extinct between Шаблон:Circa. However, remains with disputed dating have suggested that some survived up until at least 1500, and it seems to have survived a considerable time in coexistence with humans, before it finally died out.[2]
↑Rhodin, AGJ, Thomson, SA, Georgalis, GL, Karl, H-V, Danilov, IG, Takahashi, A, de la Fuente, MS, Bourque, JR, Delfino, M, Bour, R, Iverson, JB, Shaffer, HB, and van Dijk, PP. 2015. Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity: First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) 5(8):000e.1–66. doi:10.3854/crm.5.000e.fossil.checklist.v1.2015
