- [Narrator] Seeing a nearly 50 percent decrease
in population over the past decade,
this is the radiated tortoise.
Endemic to the dry southern forests of Madagascar,
the radiated tortoise has an amazingly long lifespan.
The oldest tortoise on record
reached an estimated 188 years old.
Their shell is domed and highly intricate,
with bright yellow star patterns
radiating outwards on each plate.
The shells have both blood vessels and nerves.
Meaning that it can feel when it's being touched.
The sharp decline in the tortoise's population
is mostly due to hunting and the black market pet trade.
In Madagascar, their meat is considered a delicacy
and illegal poaching has decimated wild populations.
Additionally, their distinctive markings on their shells
have made them desirably as pets.
It's estimated that a staggering
quarter-of-a-million radiated tortoises
are harvested each year.
Conservationists estimate these animals
could go extinct in less than 20 years.
This is the radiated tortoise.