Galápagos tortoise

The Galápagos tortoise (or giant Galápagos tortoise), Geochelone nigra, is the largest living tortoise. It can weigh over 225 kg (500 pounds) and measure 1.8 m (6 feet) from head to tail. It is a very slow-moving animal, moving only 0.25 km/h (0.16 miles per hour). It is a herbivore, eating grasses, plant leaves, cactus and fruits.

The Galápagos tortoise has a very large shell (or carapace) made of bone. The shape of the carapace and other morphological features are indicative of the terrain the animal inhabits. Highland areas with lush vegetation near the ground are normally home to tortoises with domed shells; these animals have restricted upward head movement due to shorter necks, and tend to have shorter limbs as well (see photo). Coastal regions with less vegetation at ground level are inhabited by tortoises with saddle-back shells; their extended necks and limbs help them to reach food higher off the ground. Shells can also be of intermediate type, with characteristics between domed and saddle-back types.

The Galápagos tortoise is found on the Galápagos Islands just west of Ecuador in South America. Because of the 250,000 tortoises that inhabited the island, Spanish explorers named the islands Galápagos for the giant tortoises. Today only 15,000 are left.

One of the oldest living specimens is a giant Galápagos tortoise named Harriet in the Australia Zoo at Beerwah, Queensland, Australia. Its estimated date of birth is 1830.

External links

• American Museum of Natural History, Galapagos Giant Tortoise webpage
• National Geographic article on Harriet