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The Giant Turtles of the Galapagos Islands

 

Of all the animals on the Galapagos, the giant tortoises are perhaps the most famous.  They were discovered in 1535, later to be documented and made famous  by Charles Darwin in 1835.   These giants can live up to 150 years and can only be found in the Galapagos.  Between 1811 and 1814 alone there were 15,000 turtles taken from the islands.  Sailors used to take these giant turtles along with them on the ships because they were able to survive up to 14 months with little or no food or water providing a wonderful source of food for the crew.  In the 1500's there were several hundred thousand giant turtles on the Galapagos Islands and now there are only 15,000 that remain.  However, breeding projects have been very successful in bringing many of the separate subspecies back from near extinction. A good place to go to see these giant reptiles is in the Charles Darwin Research Station, located on Academy Bay in Puerto Ayora, where you can see young tortoises and hatchlings, and actually climb into some pens to pet older tortoises.

There are 11 surviving subspecies of the Giant Tortoise, all distinguished by the differences of their shell. They can weigh up to 250 kg and are guessed to have a life span of about 150 years.  The best place to view them is at the Charles Darwin Research Center where hatchlings as well as older tortoises are kept as part of a breeding project.

 

 

STATUS:
ESA --
ENDANGERED
IUCN -- VULNERABLE

SIZE:
Weight:
Males from 115 pounds (51 kg) to as much as 700 pounds (270 kg), females somewhat smaller (it would take up to 8 men to lift a full grown male).

HABITAT:
Galapagos Islands                                                         

POPULATION:
15,000

CURRENT RANGE:
Galapagos Islands (map shows ranges of all populations)

CONSERVATION: Captive-breeding and restocking program in Galapagos; CITES trade restrictions  

  • The oldest giant tortoise on record lived 152 years. Reliable records of tortoise life spans aren't available 
    • The oldest giant tortoise on record lived 152 years. Reliable records of tortoise life spans aren't available yet because people haven't been observing them long enough.

     

    • The Galapagos giant tortoise is listed under the name Geochelone Nigra in the IUCN 1996 Red List.

       

    • The Galapagos giant tortoise specimen on display in the Museum's Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians may be a hybrid -- a cross between tortoise subspecies from different islands. In the past, zoos would take animals without knowing anything about which island they came from. As a result, zoo breeding programs often mated tortoises of different subspecies. Since all Galapagos giant tortoises are closely related, hybrids are viable and fertile. Unfortunately, such hybridization destroys the integrity of the original subspecies. This is another way in which species can become endangered.

                                                                                       

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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