The giant tortoise, like his namesake, sports a massive size. Galapagos tortoises for sale.

Some can even reach up to 5 feet in length. Each island has its own distinct subspecies, however, some of these have already been exterminated by people taking them for food and the effects of introduced animals such as goats destroying the native vegetation. Here you can discover their diet, lifespan, habitat, appearance, breeding and scientific name. This beautiful animal can be found only on the Island of Galapagos. 13 Awesome Galapagos Tortoise Facts 1. They tend to migrate seasonally from low elevations so that they are on the grassy plains when it is dry and then in the higher elevations when it is wet. Galapagos is named after its tortoises. The Galapagos Islands is the home of this species of tortoise which is where their name comes from. Galapagos Tortoise at ZSL London Zoo, photo by PH Morton Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world and they can outlive me very easily as their life span is up to 150 years. Galapagos tortoises are restricted to the Galapagos Islands, some 900km west of Ecuador off the South American coast. The Galapagos tortoises can live for over 150 years, but the longest living tortoise was an Aldabra giant tortoise called Adwaita which is believed to have lived for about 255 years. With an average lifespan of over 100 years, giant tortoises live out their lives dozing off in the sun for up to 16 hours a day. Family: Testudinidae Adult Size: More than 500 lbs Range: Galapagos Islands, Equator.

The word “Galapagos” comes from the old Spanish word “galapago,” which the original explorers used to mean “saddle” due to the shape of the tortoise's shells.

Galapagos tortoise is the largest tortoise on the planet. Out of 15 known subspecies of Galapagos tortoises, only 11 are left in the wild. Longest Living Tortoise Species. The tortoise has a very high shell that is brown and light green in … Learn more about the Galapagos tortoise at the Animal Facts. Habitat: Larger species inhabit rocky hillsides in the higher elevations with more lush vegetation. These galapagos tortoises played a major role in Charles Darwin’s revolutionary theory of Natural Selection theory when he visited Galapagos Island in 1835. Galapagos Tortoise Distribution. The average lifespan is over 100 years with the oldest Galapagos tortoise said to have lived for 152 years. Tortoises are the world’s longest-living animals which have a lifespan of between 80 to 150 years. The Galapagos tortoise actually consists of several species or forms.

The smaller species inhabit the lower elevation drier grasslands. They can survive in different habitats, from dry lowlands to humid highlands.