Giant Tortoise

Giant Tortoise Reptile. The giant dome-shaped tortoise has the longest lifespan of all vertebrates. Their sleeping, feeding, and nesting behaviors are very habitual.

Giant Tortoise No animal is more synonymous with the Galapagos Islands than the giant tortoise.

Giant tortoises dramatically alter their habitat. In large numbers, these plant-eaters graze down acres of tall grasses, bulldoze small trees and shrubs for leaves, and pass seeds-opening paths and supplying food for other animals.

The giant tortoise leads a generally peaceful, lazy life. He wakes up between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning and basks in the sun as his bulky body warms. The rest of the day he spends grazing and browsing.

The giant tortoise sleeps for about sixteen hours each day and keeps cool either by taking mudbaths or by partly submerging itself in water.

Old and Endangered: Giant Tortoises of the Galápagos Charles Darwin and the Galápagos- World's Longest-Living Creatures - Threats - Saving the Tortoises Flag of Ecuador ...

Most famous are the giant tortoises of islands in the Indian Ocean (Testudo gigantea) and of the Galapagos islands (T. elephantopus). Galapagos tortoises may reach a length of over 4 ft (120 cm) and weigh over 500 lb (225 kg).

The giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands are among the world's most threatened tortoises. Huge numbers of these tortoises were killed by the crews of whaling ships during the early 19th century.

Giant tortoises of the genera Geochelone, Meiolania, and others were relatively widely distributed around the world into prehistoric times, and are known to have existed in North and South America, Australia, and Africa.

The main population of the Aldabra Giant tortoise resides on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles.

There are now only 11 types of giant tortoises left in the Galápagos, down from 15 when Darwin arrived.

The volcanic slopes of the Galapagos Islands were once covered by great numbers of this giant tortoise. However, between 1700 and 1900, the species was brought to near extinction.

The African Sulcata Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata), or African Spurred Tortoise, is surpassed in size only by the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles.

Of the four races of giant tortoises once present on islands in the Indian Ocean, only the Aldabra Tortoise survived beyond the beginning of the 19th century.

Another unique attraction on the islands, are the giant tortoises, the giant tortoise is also the islands icon, used on souvenirs, stamps and the National Park logo.

Doedicurus was a glyptodont, having a huge domed carapace and looking in the distance like a giant tortoise. The carapace was made up of many tightly fitting scutes, like that of an armadillo, and would have been flexible around the edges.

Grubb, P. "The Growth, Ecology, and Population Structure of the Giant Tortoises on Aldabra." Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B, Vol. 260, 1971, pp. 327-372. Peters, U.W. and E.P. Finne. "First Breeding of the Aldabra Tortoise at Sydney Zoo." ...

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These amazing tortoises, the African Spurred Tortoises (also called the Sulcata Tortoise or Spurred Tortoise) are large, impressive animals. The only larger species of tortoise are the giant tortoises from the Galapagos and Aldabras.

abotti, is often found sitting on the carapace of the giant tortoise. Here it feeds on the insects attracted by the tortoise's excrement.

See also: Tortoise, Reptile, Shell, Turtle, Burro