Several of the 11 remaining subspecies of tortoise can be seen here.
Within the archipelago, up to 15 species of Galápagos tortoises have been identified, although only 11 survive to this day. Six are found on separate islands; five of them on the volcanoes of Isabela Island. Several of the surviving species are seriously endangered.
Several waves of human exploitation of the tortoises as a food source caused a decline in the total wild population from around 250,000 when first discovered in the 16th century to a low of 3,060 individuals in a 1974 census. Modern conservation efforts have subsequently brought tortoise numbers up to 19,317 (estimate for 1995–2009).
The species C. nigra became extinct by human exploitation in the 19th century. Another species, C. abingdonii, became extinct on 24 June 2012 with the death in captivity of the last remaining specimen, a male named Lonesome George, the world's "rarest living creature". All the other surviving species are listed by the IUCN as at least "Vulnerable" in conservation status, if not worse.
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An estimated 200,000 animals were taken before the 20th century. The relatively immobile and defenceless tortoises were collected and stored live on board ships, where they could survive for at least a year without food or water (some anecdotal reports suggest individuals surviving two years), providing valuable fresh meat, while their diluted urine and the water stored in their neck bags could be used as drinking water. The 17th-century British pirate, explorer, and naturalist William Dampier wrote, "They are so extraordinarily large and fat, and so sweet, that no pullet eats more pleasantly," while Captain James Colnett of the British Navy wrote of "the land tortoise which in whatever way it was dressed, was considered by all of us as the most delicious food we had ever tasted." US Navy captain David Porter declared, "after once tasting the Galapagos tortoises, every other animal food fell off greatly in our estimation ... The meat of this animal is the easiest of digestion, and a quantity of it, exceeding that of any other food, can be eaten without experiencing the slightest of inconvenience." Darwin was less enthusiastic about the meat, writing "the breast-plate roasted (as the Gauchos do "carne con cuero"), with the flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent."
Tags: las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos santuário Chelonoidis nigra complex Chelonoidis Giant tortoises tortuga gigante Tartaruga Gigantes the Galápagos Giant Tortoise the Galápagos tortoise complex the Galápagos giant tortoise complex tartaruga-das-Galápagos tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos reptilia réptil Testudinata Testudinidae tortugas terrestres tortugas tartarugas tortoise Charles Darwin Research Station Estação Científica Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Foundation the Galápagos Conservancy wildlife reserve captive breeding program paths arid-zone vegetation Galápagos giants Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island Ilha de Santa Cruz Isla Santa Cruz The Holy Cross The Holy Cross Island Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Puerto Ayora Ilhas do Arquipélagos das Galápagos Indefatigable Infatigável Incansável HMS Indefatigable The Galápagos Islands las Galápagos Archipiélago de Cólon Las Islas Galápagos archipelago el océano Pacífico o oceano Pacífico The Pacific Ocean the Galápagos Marine Reserve Galápagos National Park el Parque Nacional de Galápagos biosphere reserve Charles Darwin The Origin of Species UNESCO World Heritage Site Equador Ecuador ilha island isla arquipélago
Paths leading through arid-zone vegetation take you past tortoise enclosures, where you can look at these Galápagos giants.
Just northeast of Puerto Ayora is this iconic national-park site, where over 200 scientists and volunteers are involved with research and conservation efforts, the most well known of which involves a captive breeding program for giant tortoises. Paths leading through arid-zone vegetation take you past tortoise enclosures, where you can look at these Galápagos giants. There's also a baby-tortoise house with incubators (when the tortoises weigh about 1.5kg or are about four years old, they’re repatriated to their home islands).
Several of the 11 remaining subspecies of tortoise can be seen here. Other attractions include a small enclosure containing several land iguanas, with explanations in Spanish and English concerning efforts to restore their populations on islands where they’ve been pushed to the brink of extinction. Follow paths through arid-zone vegetation such as saltbush, mangroves and prickly pear, and see a variety of land birds, including Darwin's finches. The research station is supported by contributions to the Galápagos Conservancy (www.galapagos.org).
Tags: las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos santuário Chelonoidis nigra complex Chelonoidis Giant tortoises tortuga gigante Tartaruga Gigantes the Galápagos Giant Tortoise the Galápagos tortoise complex the Galápagos giant tortoise complex tartaruga-das-Galápagos tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos reptilia réptil Testudinata Testudinidae tortugas terrestres tortugas tartarugas tortoise Charles Darwin Research Station Estação Científica Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Foundation the Galápagos Conservancy wildlife reserve captive breeding program paths arid-zone vegetation Galápagos giants Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island Ilha de Santa Cruz Isla Santa Cruz The Holy Cross The Holy Cross Island Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Puerto Ayora Ilhas do Arquipélagos das Galápagos Indefatigable Infatigável Incansável HMS Indefatigable The Galápagos Islands las Galápagos Archipiélago de Cólon Las Islas Galápagos archipelago el océano Pacífico o oceano Pacífico The Pacific Ocean the Galápagos Marine Reserve Galápagos National Park el Parque Nacional de Galápagos biosphere reserve Charles Darwin The Origin of Species UNESCO World Heritage Site Equador Ecuador ilha island isla arquipélago
The Galápagos tortoise complex or Galápagos giant tortoise complex (Chelonoidis nigra and related species) are the largest living species of tortoise. Modern Galápagos tortoises can weigh up to 417 kg (919 lb). Today, giant tortoises exist on only two remote archipelagos: the Galápagos Islands 1000 km due west of mainland Ecuador; and Aldabrachelys gigantea of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania.
The Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the Ecuadorian mainland. With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. A captive individual lived at least 170 years. *Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning "tortoise".
Shell size and shape vary between populations. On islands with humid highlands, the tortoises are larger, with domed shells and short necks; on islands with dry lowlands, the tortoises are smaller, with "saddleback" shells and long necks. Charles Darwin's observations of these differences on the second voyage of the Beagle in 1835, contributed to the development of his theory of evolution.
*The Galápagos Islands were discovered in 1535, but first appeared on the maps, of Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius, around 1570. The islands were named "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of the Tortoises) in reference to the giant tortoises found there.
Initially, the giant tortoises of the Indian Ocean and those from the Galápagos were considered to be the same species. Naturalists thought that sailors had transported the tortoises there.
In 1676, the pre-Linnaean authority Claude Perrault referred to both species as Tortue des Indes.
In 1783, Johann Gottlob Schneider classified all giant tortoises as Testudo indica ("Indian tortoise").
In 1812, August Friedrich Schweigger named them Testudo gigantea ("gigantic tortoise").
In 1834, André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron classified the Galápagos tortoises as a separate species, which they named Testudo nigrita ("black tortoise").
Tags: las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos santuário Chelonoidis nigra complex Chelonoidis Giant tortoises tortuga gigante Tartaruga Gigantes the Galápagos Giant Tortoise the Galápagos tortoise complex the Galápagos giant tortoise complex tartaruga-das-Galápagos tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos reptilia réptil Testudinata Testudinidae tortugas terrestres tortugas tartarugas tortoise Charles Darwin Research Station Estação Científica Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Foundation the Galápagos Conservancy wildlife reserve captive breeding program paths arid-zone vegetation Galápagos giants Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island Ilha de Santa Cruz Isla Santa Cruz The Holy Cross The Holy Cross Island Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Puerto Ayora Ilhas do Arquipélagos das Galápagos Indefatigable Infatigável Incansável HMS Indefatigable The Galápagos Islands las Galápagos Archipiélago de Cólon Las Islas Galápagos archipelago el océano Pacífico o oceano Pacífico The Pacific Ocean the Galápagos Marine Reserve Galápagos National Park el Parque Nacional de Galápagos biosphere reserve Charles Darwin The Origin of Species UNESCO World Heritage Site Equador Ecuador ilha island isla arquipélago
The Galápagos tortoise complex or Galápagos giant tortoise complex (Chelonoidis nigra and related species) are the largest living species of tortoise. Modern Galápagos tortoises can weigh up to 417 kg (919 lb). Today, giant tortoises exist on only two remote archipelagos: the Galápagos Islands 1000 km due west of mainland Ecuador; and Aldabrachelys gigantea of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania.
The Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the Ecuadorian mainland. With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. A captive individual lived at least 170 years. Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning "tortoise".
Shell size and shape vary between populations. On islands with humid highlands, the tortoises are larger, with domed shells and short necks; on islands with dry lowlands, the tortoises are smaller, with "saddleback" shells and long necks. Charles Darwin's observations of these differences on the second voyage of the Beagle in 1835, contributed to the development of his theory of evolution.
The tortoises have a large bony shell of a dull brown or grey color. The plates of the shell are fused with the ribs in a rigid protective structure that is integral to the skeleton. Lichens can grow on the shells of these slow-moving animals. Tortoises keep a characteristic scute (shell segment) pattern on their shells throughout life, though the annual growth bands are not useful for determining age because the outer layers are worn off with time. A tortoise can withdraw its head, neck, and fore limbs into its shell for protection. The legs are large and stumpy, with dry, scaly skin and hard scales. The front legs have five claws, the back legs four.
Tags: las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos santuário Chelonoidis nigra complex Chelonoidis Giant tortoises tortuga gigante Tartaruga Gigantes the Galápagos Giant Tortoise the Galápagos tortoise complex the Galápagos giant tortoise complex tartaruga-das-Galápagos tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos reptilia réptil Testudinata Testudinidae tortugas terrestres tortugas tartarugas tortoise Charles Darwin Research Station Estação Científica Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Foundation the Galápagos Conservancy wildlife reserve captive breeding program paths arid-zone vegetation Galápagos giants Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island Ilha de Santa Cruz Isla Santa Cruz The Holy Cross The Holy Cross Island Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Puerto Ayora Ilhas do Arquipélagos das Galápagos Indefatigable Infatigável Incansável HMS Indefatigable The Galápagos Islands las Galápagos Archipiélago de Cólon Las Islas Galápagos archipelago el océano Pacífico o oceano Pacífico The Pacific Ocean the Galápagos Marine Reserve Galápagos National Park el Parque Nacional de Galápagos biosphere reserve Charles Darwin The Origin of Species UNESCO World Heritage Site Equador Ecuador ilha island isla arquipélago Animals
Tortoise numbers declined from over 250,000 in the 16th century to a low of around 3,000 in the 1970s. This decline was caused by overexploitation of the species for meat and oil, habitat clearance for agriculture, and introduction of non-native animals to the islands, such as rats, goats, and pigs. The extinction of most giant tortoise lineages is thought to have also been caused by predation by humans or human ancestors, as the tortoises themselves have no natural predators. Tortoise populations on at least three islands have become extinct in historical times due to human activities. Specimens of these extinct taxa exist in several museums and also are being subjected to DNA analysis. 10 species of the original 15 survive in the wild; an 11th species (Chelonoidis abingdonii) had only a single known living individual, kept in captivity and nicknamed Lonesome George until his death in June 2012. Conservation efforts, beginning in the 20th century, have resulted in thousands of captive-bred juveniles being released onto their ancestral home islands, and the total number of the species is estimated to have exceeded 19,000 at the start of the 21st century. Despite this rebound, all surviving species are classified as "threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Tags: las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos santuário Chelonoidis nigra complex Chelonoidis Giant tortoises tortuga gigante Tartaruga Gigantes the Galápagos Giant Tortoise the Galápagos tortoise complex the Galápagos giant tortoise complex tartaruga-das-Galápagos tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos reptilia réptil Testudinata Testudinidae tortugas terrestres tortugas tartarugas tortoise Charles Darwin Research Station Estação Científica Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Foundation the Galápagos Conservancy wildlife reserve captive breeding program paths arid-zone vegetation Galápagos giants Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island Ilha de Santa Cruz Isla Santa Cruz The Holy Cross The Holy Cross Island Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Puerto Ayora Ilhas do Arquipélagos das Galápagos Indefatigable Infatigável Incansável HMS Indefatigable The Galápagos Islands las Galápagos Archipiélago de Cólon Las Islas Galápagos archipelago el océano Pacífico o oceano Pacífico The Pacific Ocean the Galápagos Marine Reserve Galápagos National Park el Parque Nacional de Galápagos biosphere reserve Charles Darwin The Origin of Species UNESCO World Heritage Site Equador Ecuador ilha island isla arquipélago