Description

Geochelone laetoliensis was a large land tortoise inhabiting the Pliocene savanna ecosystems of northern Tanzania around 3.5 million years ago. Its anatomy resembled modern giant tortoises—broad domed shell, thick limb bones, and a slow but powerful terrestrial gait. Fossils suggest a heavy, high-domed carapace suited to protection against predators in open habitats.

Like other giant Geochelone, it likely lived a slow-paced, herbivorous lifestyle, grazing on grasses, forbs, and succulent plants. Its size may have exceeded that of most modern mainland tortoises, making it one of the larger terrestrial reptiles of its ecosystem.

“Aldabrachelys” laetoliensis (Meylan and Auffenberg 1987)
(Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene)
Laetoli Giant Tortoise Tanzania
Size: CL ca. 100 cm
Geochelone (Aldabrachelys) laetoliensis † Meylan and Auffenberg 1987:1167 [Late Pliocene, Laetoli Beds, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania], Geochelone laetoliensis, Aldabrachelys laetoliensis, Stigmochelys laetoliensis
Comment: This species was recorded from hominin habitation sites in Olduvai from about 3,800,000–2,600,000 ybp and was exposed to early human exploitation (Harrison 2011). This species has tentatively been assigned to both Aldabrachelys and Stigmochelys (to which it may be closer; F. Lapparent de Broin, pers. comm.), but further material and new analysis may well indicate that it
belongs to a new genus