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Galapagos Tortoise
Geochelone elephantopus
CLASS: Reptilia
ORDER: Chelonia
FAMILY: Testudinoidae
GENUS: Geochelone
SPECIES: Elephantopus
LIFESPAN: 100 to 200 years
COLOR/PATTERN: Dark gray to black.
HABITAT: Warm, dry lava soils with open grass glades.
RANGE: Galapagos Islands off of the west coast of Ecuador.
LENGTH: Up to 5 feet
WEIGHT: Up to 600 pounds
REPRODUCTION: Mating occurs in February through April; they reach sexual maturity at 20 to 25 years of age.
INCUBATION: 60 to 80 days (average) Up to 200 days.
CLUTCH: One or two clutches of 9 or 10 eggs are laid.
DIET: Grasses, cactus, and lichen.
ACTIVE: Diurnal
STATUS: Endangered Species
NOTES:
- They are the largest tortoises in the world.
- Heaviest ever weighed 681 pounds.
- Galapagos tortoises are endangered due to humans slaughtering them for meat, Cats and rats ravage the tortoise’s nests and feed on the young, and wild goats and pigs strip many areas of covering vegetation.
- A tortoises shell prevents it from expanding its chest, so it has special muscles to help it breathe.
- The shell of this giant tortoise is surprisingly fragile, its bone structure is very light, and the shell itself is easily damaged.
- They grow steady for 40 years, before they reach full size.
- There are 14 subspecies of this tortoise, which contain 2 shell structures. A shell for low vegetation eating tortoises and anther for those that eat higher vegetation.
- Moves 0.16 miles per hour.
- They have a good sense of smell and smell their food before they eat it.
Last Update:Wednesday, June 29, 2005 at 07:46:00
