Santa Cruz Galapagos Domed Tortoise
Isla Santa Cruz
Galapagos
Ecuador
South America
Click on Image To Enlarge.
The Galapagos Tortoise's survival is partly due to their amazing adaptations. On certain islands with low shrubbery, the tortoises tend to have short legs and short necks, whereas on islands with taller vegetation, the tortoises have longer legs and necks. Their shell shapes greatly differ as well. A Galapagos Tortoise's shell can be anything from "saddleback," or shaped like a horse saddle, to "domed."
On islands like Santa Cruz (islands that are over 2600 feet in elevation) that mainly consist of low, short vegetation, the tortoises have domed shells and are larger, with shorter necks and limbs. Saddleback tortoises originate from small islands less than 1,600 feet in elevation with dry habitats that are more limited in food and other resources.
Galapagos Tortoises have shell adaptions to help them find food, but the shells come with a price. They face many human challenges, but their physical challenges are one of the main reasons for their endangerment. While a Galapagos Tortoise is huge to help with extremes of temperature, their 800 pound, 5.9 feet long bodies put them at risk. Their shells aren't solid, and due to the positioning of their lungs, if they accidentally flip over their lungs could be crushed. Another reason is the fact that a Galapagos Tortoise can only walk at .20 mph.
The Galapagos Tortoises biggest challenge is still human extinction. As early as the seventeenth century, Galapagos Tortoises were killed by sailors for food. From the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century, as many as 200,000 Galapagos Tortoises were killed.
Santa Cruz Galapagos Domed Tortoise
Isla Santa Cruz
Galapagos
Ecuador
South America
Click on Image To Enlarge.
The Galapagos Tortoise's survival is partly due to their amazing adaptations. On certain islands with low shrubbery, the tortoises tend to have short legs and short necks, whereas on islands with taller vegetation, the tortoises have longer legs and necks. Their shell shapes greatly differ as well. A Galapagos Tortoise's shell can be anything from "saddleback," or shaped like a horse saddle, to "domed."
On islands like Santa Cruz (islands that are over 2600 feet in elevation) that mainly consist of low, short vegetation, the tortoises have domed shells and are larger, with shorter necks and limbs. Saddleback tortoises originate from small islands less than 1,600 feet in elevation with dry habitats that are more limited in food and other resources.
Galapagos Tortoises have shell adaptions to help them find food, but the shells come with a price. They face many human challenges, but their physical challenges are one of the main reasons for their endangerment. While a Galapagos Tortoise is huge to help with extremes of temperature, their 800 pound, 5.9 feet long bodies put them at risk. Their shells aren't solid, and due to the positioning of their lungs, if they accidentally flip over their lungs could be crushed. Another reason is the fact that a Galapagos Tortoise can only walk at .20 mph.
The Galapagos Tortoises biggest challenge is still human extinction. As early as the seventeenth century, Galapagos Tortoises were killed by sailors for food. From the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century, as many as 200,000 Galapagos Tortoises were killed.