Galapagos Tortoise
(Chelonoidis niger)
Galapagos Tortoise – 7 Interesting Facts
- Galapagos Giant Tortoise is a species complex of 15 (13 extant and 2 extinct) very large tortoise species.
- There are twelve living species thought to remain in Galapagos across ten islands.
- They have a lifespan in the wild of over 100 years.
- These tortoises are cold-blooded creatures, so they bask for 1–2 hours after dawn to absorb the sun’s heat through their dark shells.
- Galapagos Tortoises are herbivores, with a diet cacti, grasses, leaves, lichens, berries, melons, oranges and milkweed.
- They acquire most of their moisture from the dew and sap in vegetation.
- Galapagos Tortoises are most active at early morning or late afternoon in the hot season and midday during the cool season.
Galapagos Tortoise images taken by Cyril Brass.