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The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger) is a very large species of tortoise in the genus Chelonoidis (which also contains three smaller species from mainland South America). The species comprises 15 subspecies (13 extant and 2 extinct).
The closest living relative of the Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger) is the small Chaco tortoise from South America, although it is not a direct ancestor. Scientists believe the first tortoises arrived to the Galápagos 2–3 million years ago by drifting 600 miles from the South American coast on vegetation rafts or on their own.
Several lineages of tortoises have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. Tortoises are the longest ...
#25 Just A Big Leatherback Sea Turtle. Image credits: Geeky_ #26 Galápagos Tortoise. One Of The Biggest Vertebrate And An Endangered Species Which Can Weigh As Much As 400 Kg And Live Up To 100 ...
Chelonoidis is a genus of turtles in the tortoise family erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1835. [2] They are found in South America and the Galápagos Islands, and formerly had a wide distribution in the West Indies. The multiple subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise (C. niger) are among the largest extant terrestrial chelonians.
Van Denburgh, 1907 : Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905–1906. I. Preliminary descriptions of four new races of gigantic land tortoises from the Galapagos Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 4, vol. 1, p. 1–6
The giant leatherback sea turtle, the largest extant turtle, digs a nest on the beach. The largest extant turtle is the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), reaching a maximum total length of 3 m (10 ft) and a weight of 961 kg (2,119 lb). [1] [96] The second-largest extant testudine is the Loggerhead sea turtle. It tends to weight ...
Santa Cruz giant tortoise Bottlenose dolphins jumping off the Galápagos Islands. One of the best-known animals is the Galápagos tortoise, which once lived on ten of the islands. Now, some tortoise species are extinct or extinct in the wild and they live on six of the islands. The tortoises have an average lifespan of over 130 years.