Galápagos giant tortoise

Chelonoidis niger

A century and a half of life

The dome shaped shell, typical of humid islands where vegetation grows low and abundant.

Status: Unknown
Six of the fourteen islands of the Galápagos archipelago

Numbers

Weight: 660 lbmaximum value for the giant tortoise group
Length: 5 ftshell length
Lifespan: 150 yearsthreshold indicated as achievable, not a measured average
Longevity: 150 yearsthreshold reached without difficulty
Weight: 660 lbheaviest among land tortoises
Species in group: 15 speciesspread across six of fourteen islands

Ten fun facts

it is the largest land tortoise in the world, with an adult shell measuring about five feet long.
it can reach six hundred and sixty pounds, a weight that no other land tortoise is able to touch.
it easily passes one hundred and fifty years of age and is one of the longest living animals on earth.
the saddle shaped shell opens at the front and allows the long neck to stretch up toward tall plants.
on humid islands the shell is dome shaped instead, because the grass is low and easy to reach.
on arid islands it gets water and minerals from succulent plants like prickly pears that grow tall.
the group includes fifteen different species scattered across six of the fourteen islands in the Galápagos archipelago.
the archipelago got its name from the Spanish word galápago, which means tortoise, given to it by Spanish explorers.
on June twenty fourth twenty twelve George died as the last Chelonoidis abingdonii, ending his entire species.
in twenty twenty two an albino specimen of Chelonoidis niger was born on these islands for the first time.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

How much can a Galápagos giant tortoise weigh?

Question 2 of 5

What is the saddle shaped shell used for?

Question 3 of 5

How many years can it live past?

Question 4 of 5

Who was George?

Question 5 of 5

What does galápago mean in Spanish?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Lay five feet of rope on the floor. That is the exact length of the shell of an adult Galápagos giant tortoise.

Experiment 2

Take the current year and add one hundred and fifty to it. A giant tortoise born right now could still be alive on that distant date.

Experiment 3

Try to reach an object placed up high while keeping your shoulders completely still. You will quickly understand why the saddle shaped shell is useful.

Data from Wikidata (Q486672) and Wikipedia (Floreana giant tortoise).