Galapagos Tortoise

Range:
Galapagos Islands.

Habitat:
Tropical areas and desert like areas. Varies due to different location throughout Galapagos Islands

Size:
Ranges from ~2 ft shell length and 60 lbs to ~4 ft shell length and 700 lbs

Young:
3-25 eggs.

Gestation:
4 - 6 months

Diet (wild):
Generalized herbivore: grasses, vines, cactus fruit, and other vegetation (a mix of over 50 plant species)

Diet (zoo):
Romaine lettuce, spinach, alfalfa, carrots, cucumber, and green pepper

Lifespan (wild):
100 or more years.

Lifespan (captivity):
100 or more years.

Status:
CITES Appendix I

Threats:
Loss of habitat and over harvesting

Anatomy/Physiology:
There is little variation in color; usually it's a dull brown. The males have a concave underside, which enables them to fit on the female better while mating. They have very slow metabolic systems. It can take up to 3 weeks to completely digest food; their heart rate is only 20 beats per minute.

Social/Family units:
Solitary, occasionally in groups.

Habits:
They lead a very easy-going and lazy life. When they wake up in the morning they will bask in the sun to warm their bodies (since they are ectothermic). Then they spend the rest of the day grazing and browsing. They will retire late in the afternoon in a mud hole or in a burrow in dense brush.

Communication:
The males have a loud, throaty grunt during mating.

Defensive/Aggressive behavior:
When threatened will withdraw its neck, and legs into carapace.

Predators:
Feral pigs, dogs, cats will prey on the young.

Locomotion:
Slow moving quadruped. It walks only 360 yards per hour.

Activity:
Diurnal.

Interesting story/facts:
They have a symbiotic relationship with birds, like the finches. These birds will pick off ticks on their necks. This helps the tortoise get rid of the ticks and feeds the finches at the same time.
Introduced goats destroy the natural vegetation, which in turn hurts the tortoises.