A giant of the reptile world has stepped onto the scales as part of his first health check. The Australian Reptile Park’s 45-year-old Galapagos tortoise, known as Dippy, needed a forklift and industrial scales for his weigh-in at Somersby on the New South Wales central coast. The park’s senior curator, Liz Vella, said the best way to gauge a tortoise’s health during winter was by weighing it. “Dippy had actually never been weighed before,” she said. “We’ve just judged his body condition, but he’s starting to mature so it’s a really good time to start noting down his weight and keeping on top of it. “We’ll probably do this as an annual check just to ensure that he hasn’t lost weight or put on too much. “Winter is always a time that they can drop in health because it’s so cool and they’re used to a really warm climate.” Dippy tipped the scales at 120 kilograms.
