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| Giant Tortoise, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador |
The coup de gras....the Galapagos Tortoise!!!
Isn't he a handsome devil (I think he's a he...)
These tortoise are the largest living species of tortoise...
some of the ones we saw were as big as 600 lbs!!!
and can be even bigger!!!
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| This gives you an idea of it's size!!! |
They're also one of the longest living vertebrates...
generally 100-150 years.
Records show that in the 16th Century there were upwards of 250,000 Giant Tortoises...
in 1970 records revealed the numbers had decreased to approximately 3000...
Because of substantial conservation efforts in the 20th Century,
the numbers have risen to over 19,000...
but they are still considered to be a vulnerable species...
Unfortunately, five of the original 15 subspecies of these tortoises
no longer exist...
Much of the conservation efforts takes place or originates from
the Charles Darwin Scientific Center...
