Chinese name:Galapagos giant tortoise
Common name:Galapagos giant tortoise
English name: Galapagos tortoise
Latin name:Geochelone nigra
Geographically dispersed; Ecuador's western coast Labago Islands"
Growing method:Oviparous.
Galapagos tortoise
Custom: The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean 1,000 kilometers away from my hometown of Ecuador, South America. In 1535, a ship from Panama headed to Peru accidentally discovered the Galapagos Islands during its flight. For about 300 years, the Galapagos Islands have always been a haven for ships. In 1835, Darwin arrived at the Galapagos Islands and stayed for five weeks to collect and observe this species, where he verified the theory of its evolution. , and the publication of "evolution" and "natural selection" is what really made the Galapagos Islands widely known, and the extremely important source of material for the theory published by Darwin also came from the Galapagos Islands. Confirmed by biological inspection and research. "Galapagos" means "black turtle" in Spanish. In addition to rare private birds, the island also has special reptiles that are close to extinction, such as tortoises and sea and land iguanas. The Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands in the sea that have never been connected to any continent, so all animals and plants are produced by native species. Although there are not many species of animals and plants on the island, they are generally derived from private species. Almost all flora, reptiles and most land bird species can only be seen in the Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos Islands are formed by more than ten volcanic craters, and the tortoises scattered on the islands have also evolved into different appearances and customs. There were originally as many as 14 subspecies. However, due toIn the early days, ships anchored on the islands, and humans arbitrarily captured giant tortoises for food, leading many subspecies to near extinction. On some islands, giant tortoises miraculously reappeared decades later. They are in great need of human protection. For now, only There are 12 subspecies, among which the subspecies abingdoni on Pinta Island, named Lonesome George, is the last one left, and is placed at the research center on Santa Cruz Island. Because Pinta Island is full of deep shrubs, it is more difficult for researchers to find Pinta Island tortoises. However, there are still some harvests. In the deep shrubs, experts have found abandoned nests and signs of tortoises walking, so Many biologists believe that abingdoni tortoises still exist on Pinta Island, and the government and researchers have invested considerable sums of money to find Pinta Island tortoises.
There are currently only 12 subspecies left. They are all scattered on the Galapagos Islands off the west coast of Ecuador. These macro land tortoise species are similar in size to the Aldabra giant tortoises scattered in the Sechi Islands. Mature body types can easily exceed 100cm. The body weight of males can reach 260 to 320 kilograms, and the body weight of females is about 130 to 190 kilograms. Some subspecies can even reach a mature body length of more than 150cm, and their lifespan is estimated to easily exceed 150 years. Galapagos giant tortoises mostly avoid high-temperature periods and move in the Qing Dynasty. With seasonal changes, growth periods or rainy seasons, they also have the habit of migrating, often traveling between the coast and the mountains. It takes about 40 years for these macroland tortoise species to reach maturity from hatchlings in the wild, and 20 to 25 years in captivity. All tortoises in the Galapagos Islands probably court mates from January to August. Male tortoises will compete with each other to win the right to mate, because female tortoises will only choose healthy male tortoises to produce offspring. The eggs will migrate from high altitude areas to coastal areas to grow their offspring. The incubation conditions are: temperature 28℃～29℃, humidity about 75%～80%, and incubation time about 100～240 days (depending on the temperature). Galapagos elephants Turtles are herbivorous, and the plants they commonly eat include leaves, fruits, weeds and giant palms. Their water sources depend entirely on rainwater and giant palms. Some turtles rest on drier islands and can even survive droughts for a long time. It can stay dormant for up to a year without eating or drinking.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, cargo ships and fishing boats passing through the Galapagos Islands hunted tortoises on the islands for food, which led to a sharp decline in the number of tortoises on the islands, and some subspecies even became extinct. Fortunately, in 1959 In 2002, the government prepared a national garden on the island to protect the resting place of these giant tortoises, and the shrinking population situation was calmed down. Now the biggest threat to these tortoises comes from the impact of alien species, rats, canines and cats. Animals prey on elephant tortoise eggs and hatchlings, and other exotic herbivorous mammals cause a shortage of plants. Currently, all subspecies are protected turtles in Appendix I.
The number estimates from the early days of the protection in 1971 to 2003 show insignificant growth, with the central period hoodensis; epippiuThe four subspecies of m;darwini;vandenburghi are still on the decline. They all rely on artificial development and wild populations to achieve stability. The number of wild giant tortoises has been declining since then. According to surveys, the recovery rate of wild Galapagos hatchlings in the wild is "zero" for most subspecies. Biologists studying giant tortoises have found that the main reason for the decline in numbers is the migration of auxiliary mammals and animals to the island. The consequences caused by cats catching turtle eggs or hatchlings are also the most important threat to giant tortoises. The main threat is poachers, because adult Galapagos giant tortoises have almost no natural enemies except humans.
G. n. abingdoni - Pinta Island (Pinta Island tortoise) (the only remaining young male "Lonesome George")
br> G. n. becki - Near Wolf Crater, northern Isabela Island (Isabela Island tortoise)
G. n. chathamensis - San Cristobal Island (Chatham Islands tortoise)
G. n. darwini - G. n. ephippium - Pinzon Island (Pinzon Island Tortoise)
G. n. guntheri - Isabela Island Negra Mountains (Isabela Island Tortoise)
> G. n. hoodensis - Espanola Island (Open Island Tortoise)
G. n. microphyes - Isabela Island near Darwin Crater (Isabela Island Tortoise)
G. n. nigra - Southwest Isabela Island (Isabela Island tortoise) (Extinct)
G. n. porteri - Santa Cruz Island (Santa Cruz Island tortoise)
G. n. phantastica - Fernandina Island (Fernandina Island tortoise) ( Extinct)
G. n. vandenburghi - Alcedo Crater, Isabela Island (Isabela Island Tortoise)
G. n. vicina - Cerro Azul Crater, southern Isabela Island (Iguana Bay Tortoise)
G. n. galapagoensis - (Challis Island tortoise)
Body shape characteristics: 100cm or more
Food habits: Herbivorous.
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