Fun Facts!

The mother of one of our Galapagos tortoises was 88 years-old when she laid her first fertile eggs.

The oldest known Galapagos lived to be 152 years-old.

When fully mature, these tortoises can survive for a year without eating or drinking.

These tortoises amble along at 0.16 miles per hour, compared to humans who walk at an average speed of 2.8 miles per hour.

Galapagos Tortoise

Geochelone elephantopus

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Galapagos Tortoises are the largest of the tortoises. Males weigh up to 570 pounds and span up to 6 feet from head to tail; females weigh nearly 300 pounds.

The shape of their shell is determined by how the tortoise gets its food. Saddle-backed tortoises have a higher shell that allows the tortoise to reach high for their food. Dome-shaped shells feed on vegetation that grows at ground level. Their shells are made up of honeycomb structures that have small air chambers. Their lungs are found on the top of their back, making it dangerous if a tortoise is on its back for an extended period.

HABITAT

These giants live only in parts of the Galapagos Islands, roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in South America. They live in warm dry regions and cool forest areas on the sides of the volcano.

DIET IN THE WILD

As most tortoises, they are herbivores feeding on grasses, vines, cactus fruit, and other vegetation. They dine on the fruit of the manzanello tree and fallen fruits and spiny pads of the prickly pear, as well as flowers, water ferns, leaves, and grasses.

In the zoo they eat natural grasses, bananas, apples, papayas and lettuce. When fully grown, each animal can eat 10 pounds of food three times a week.

BEHAVIOR

These giant tortoises lead peaceful, long lives sleeping nearly 16 hours per day when fully grown. When a fight breaks out among males, the tortoises face each other, open their mouths, and stretch their heads as high as they can. Whoever can reach the highest wins, even if he is much smaller overall than the other male.

When female tortoises lay their eggs, they make a hole in the ground, which they cover with vegetation. Between two and sixteen babies will hatch after four to eight months. Temperature plays a role in whether a tortoise hatchling is male or female: if the nest temperature is low, more males will hatch; if it is high, more females will hatch. When the young tortoises emerge from their shells, they must dig their way to the surface, which can take up to one month! Young tortoises are hatched from eggs that are three inches long. By the age of five they should be the size of a 5 gallon bucket. When they turn 30 years old, you are able to determine if the tortoise is a male or female.

STATUS IN THE WILD / CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Endangered. On the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Galapagos tortoise is listed as Vulnerable.
Nearly 200,000 giant tortoises were hunted by sailors prior to the 19th century as they searched for food during their long journeys. Galapagos hawks are a predator that eat the eggs and newly hatched tortoises.

LIFE SPAN

Galapagos tortoises can live up to 150 years-old.