Most people would probably be somewhat displeased if they were interrupted by someone creeping up on them during the passionate throes of mating. Tortoises apparently feel the same way. During a Pristine Seas expedition to the Seychelles, expedition leader Paul Rose was drawn toward what he describes as a “powerful, rhythmic grunting” from the bushes and was “delighted” to find that it was two giant tortoises mating.

The tortoises, however, were not as delighted to see Rose. With slow, relentless tortoise determination, the male pursued Rose and his cameraman for about 400 yards, pushing them away from his mating area with the threat of his sharp beak. Eventually, the chase ended, although it was a close thing; as Rose writes on the Pristine Seas blog, “If I hadn’t put on a good finishing sprint we would still be at it.”

Sarah Alender

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