Santa Cruz Island
Are these real rocks? Are these volcanoes? No…These are tortoises, Galapagos giant tortoises! They are the most representative creatures of this archipelago. They are also the slowest moving reptiles of the Galapagos and the best example of a successful conservation program.
Today we saw many tortoises, not only in the breeding corrals of the Charles Darwin Research Station, but also in the wild. There are 11 subspecies of tortoises in Galapagos, and at the Research Station we were able to identify some of them. The Española tortoises were the ones with the longest necks, and a saddle back shell. The Pinta subspecies has only one representative left, George. He has a double bumped shell that looks like a saddle. The males in this picture are from different islands; they are not part of any breeding program but they are of grand importance for education and research.
In the wild we encountered the tortoises that are endemic, or unique, to Santa Cruz Island. They are one of the largest subspecies, with a huge dome shaped carapace and can weight up to 350 pounds. They wander all over the humid highlands of the island, were there is enough food and moisture for them.
We can say that today, we had a full and successful “tortoise” day.
Are these real rocks? Are these volcanoes? No…These are tortoises, Galapagos giant tortoises! They are the most representative creatures of this archipelago. They are also the slowest moving reptiles of the Galapagos and the best example of a successful conservation program.
Today we saw many tortoises, not only in the breeding corrals of the Charles Darwin Research Station, but also in the wild. There are 11 subspecies of tortoises in Galapagos, and at the Research Station we were able to identify some of them. The Española tortoises were the ones with the longest necks, and a saddle back shell. The Pinta subspecies has only one representative left, George. He has a double bumped shell that looks like a saddle. The males in this picture are from different islands; they are not part of any breeding program but they are of grand importance for education and research.
In the wild we encountered the tortoises that are endemic, or unique, to Santa Cruz Island. They are one of the largest subspecies, with a huge dome shaped carapace and can weight up to 350 pounds. They wander all over the humid highlands of the island, were there is enough food and moisture for them.
We can say that today, we had a full and successful “tortoise” day.
