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.
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