Galapagos Turtle
The giant galapagos tortoise is known as the tortoise of the island pinta, because it lived on the island of pinta or the island of tortoise, It is located 1000 km west of the Equator.
How many leftover types of giant galapagos?
Since the nineteenth century, the classification of the Galapagos giant tortoise subspecies has been the subject of experts, most of whom agree with the classification that distinguishes 11 of this race, 10 of which live in the islands of Santiago, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Penzone, Espanolan and Isabella despite This number is also contradictory, and as many naturalists think that the number of giant galapagos turtles is very high.
the last turtle of this race, which was called lunisum george, died on June 24, 2012, although the giant male galapagos tortured with another female turtle and no turtle came out. Eggs.
Characteristics of the Galapagos giant tortoise:
The giant Galapagos tortoise has a solid bony shield with smooth skin, the latter is attached to the ribs thanks to a solid and secure structure because it is an integral part of the skeleton, tortoise with slow movement has clear growth marks.
the turtle's shell remains as long as the latter is alive, but with age, the signs of growth disappear from the shield, when the outer layer begins to erode, and when the giant tortoise feels a threat, it hides its long neck, head and limbs inside the shell. The Galapagos giant tortoise is distinguished by its long obese legs covered with a layer of dry skin. The front legs of the tortoise have five claws and the rear legs have four claws.
Due to the huge size of the giant tortoise, it is described as one of the largest reptiles in the world which can reach a length between (1.2 - 1.8) meters and it weighs on average around (270 - 300) kg. males have a curved or curved shield near the neck, the tail is longer and the shield is shorter than the female, because the male is larger than the female, where the weight of the female reaches (136 - 181) kg .
the Galapagos giant tortoise eats:
The Galapagos tortoise is a herbivore that eats mainly aloe vera, grass, lichens and fruits. The turtle can also eat manchine fruit and is one of the most toxic fruits in the world (called the poisoned apple). In addition, the giant Galapagos tortoise eats guava species, azolla plants, floating ferns and tilandia plants.
A giant Galapagos tortoise generally consumes (32 - 36) kg (70 - 79 lbs) of food per day, and it is digested with gusto, because the tortoise likes to eat the flowers of Opuntia, which are rich in water, so they remain alive without a source of water For a long time, on dry islands, the turtle has licked the morning dew on the rocks and, over the years, the turtle has made semicircular cavities in the rocks.
Mating Galapagos giant tortoises:
The giant Galapagos tortoise breeds all seasons of the year, although the highest breeding is between February and June, especially on the humid heights of the rainy season. Get out of their long neck, open your mouth and rise to the highest level possible on their legs.
The Galapagos giant tortoise during the productivity season tends to be aggressive, and often the male tortoise can bite other males, and when mating takes place, female turtles go to dry sandy beaches , and nesting is very exhausting work, and the female digs with her hind legs hole length 30 feet deep, laying about 16 solid spherical eggs.
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