Galapagos Tortoise
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The largest of the eleven different subspecies can grow a shell that extends to five feet, covering a body that can exceed five hundred pounds, making them the largest tortoise species in the world.
Found only in the Galapagos Archipelago, off the coast of western South America, the area's isolation and limited number of predators created the perfect environment for the evolution of a super-sized tortoise species.
The multi-island setting also created an environment for the evolution of different looking subspecies, whose shells adapted to the local environmental conditions. Most of the shells are described as either domed or shell shaped.
Physical evolution differences did not translate into dietary evolutionary differences. All Geochelone subspecies are herbivores that consume local plant life.
Recent news that the only remaining Geochelone abigdoni subspecies, better known as Lonesome George, successfully mated with a female of a different subspecies. Keepers at George's residence in the Galapagos National Park await the potential hatchlings with bated breath.
© 2009 Patricia A. Michaels