Lonesome George, the most famous turtle in the world, has died. Elephant turtle Galapagos tortoises where they live

A very large turtle with a carapace length of up to 122 cm and a body weight of up to 300 kg. On the larger islands, the males are somewhat larger than the females. In different populations, there are significant differences in the size and shape of the shell, on the basis of which they can be divided into two main groups: 1. On small arid islands, turtles are small in size with saddle-shaped carapaces and longer and thinner legs. Weight of females up to 27 kg, males up to 54 kg. The differences in the size of males and females are more pronounced. 2. On large, humid islands, larger individuals with a high domed carapace live. It is believed that the saddle-shaped carapace allows turtles to penetrate and hide in dense, tough vegetation.

They feed on the green vegetation of the islands, including shrubs and grasses that are poisonous to other animals. Daily activity.

Mating occurs at any time of the year, but there are seasonal peaks of the greatest sexual activity.

Females lay up to 22 nearly spherical eggs 5–6 cm in diameter and weighing up to 70 g.

In 1959, in Ecuador, a ban was implemented on trapping turtles, collecting eggs and exporting them, and the Galapagos were declared a National Park. Since 1970, the export of turtles that have bred in captivity or in nature has been banned from Ecuador. Since 1969, in the United States, law 91-135 has prohibited the importation of these turtles into the country. The destruction of predators and competitors is carried out. Turtle nests are guarded, for which they are fenced with lava fences. The eggs are transported to the Charles Darwin Research Station for incubation. Young turtles return to historical territories after they reach a certain size.

Methods are being developed artificial insemination females. At Ch. Darwin Station there are successes in breeding some subspecies. A breeding colony of S. e., hoodensis. Breeds successfully C. e. elephantopus at the Honolulu Zoo. Several individuals of the elephant tortoise are kept in the zoos of Zurich, Sydney, etc.

There are 12 extant subspecies endemic to the Galapagos Islands. All of them are included in the IUCN Red List and Appendix I of the Convention on international trade as endangered.

elephant turtle Rothschild Chelonoidis elephantopus becki (Rothschild, 1901)

Inhabits the northern and western slopes of the Wolf volcano on the island. Isabela (Albemarle), The population is about 2000 individuals and its reproductive capabilities are estimated positively.

The number of turtles on the island is reduced by feral cats and black rats that eat eggs and young.

Chatham elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus chathamensis (Van Denburg, 1907)

Inhabits the northeast. San Cristobal (Chatham). The population is about 500-700 individuals. The normal recovery of the population is also hampered by the trampling of nests by donkeys and the destruction of young animals by feral dogs. Eggs from wild nests are taken out for further incubation to the research station of Ch. Darwin. In 1979, on about. San Cristobal was returned 139 young tortoises.

Darwin's elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus darvini (Van Denburg, 1907)

Inhabits the west of the central part of the island. San Salvador. Most of The population was removed from the island at the beginning of the 19th century. whaling ships. After the mass introduction of goats, the green coastal lowlands were turned into deserts. Nests and young turtles are destroyed by free-ranging pigs. The sex ratio in the population is unbalanced. There are more males than females. The reproductive success of the population began to decline sharply 50 years ago. Nests are guarded, and since 1970 eggs for incubation have been transported to the Charles Darwin research station. On about. San Salvador was returned 115 individuals.

Common elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus elephantopus (Harlan, 1875)

Distributed in the east. Isabela (Albemarle) (Fig. 34). The range of the subspecies overlaps with S. e. guentheri and perhaps the two taxa should be merged.

The population was severely undermined by sailors in the 19th-20th centuries. and extensive trapping at the end of the 1950s and 1960s by cattle merchants. Currently, there are about 700 individuals. Mating and nesting in vivo is still observed, although very few young animals have been found in nature. The population is heavily undermined by dogs, cats and pigs. Eggs and young animals are taken to the research station of Ch. Darwin. Since 1971, 114 grown individuals have been returned to nature.

Duncan elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus ephippium (Gunther, 1875)

Inhabits the southwestern slopes of the island. Pinzon (Duncan) (Fig. 35). AT in large numbers exported on expeditions late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century. Now about 150 adults have survived. The black rats introduced to the island destroy the clutches of turtles and the natural regeneration of the population does not occur.

Rice. 34. Common elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus elephantopus

Rice. 35. Duncan elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus ephippium

Since 1965, they began to export eggs for artificial incubation to the research station of Ch. Darwin, and 182 grown individuals were returned to the island.

Guenther's elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus guentheri (Baur. 1889)

It lives on the slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano on about. Isabela (Albemarle). The destruction of the population, begun by sailors and colonists, continued until the 1950s. Now about 500 individuals have survived, divided into two groups. About 300 turtles live on the eastern and about 200 on the western and southwestern slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano. Natural breeding is perhaps more or less successful on the eastern slopes; in the west, the clutches are destroyed by rats, cats, dogs, and pigs.

Hispaniola elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus hoodensis (Van Denburg, 1907)

Lives on about. Hispaniola (Fig. 36). It was heavily exploited by whalers in the 19th century. In the early 1970s, only 14 adults (2 males and 12 females) were found and transported to the C. Darwin Research Station for breeding. 79 young turtles were returned to the island, and 50 were left at the station for further work on reproduction and restoration of the subspecies.

Isabel elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus microphyes (Gunther, 1875)

Inhabits the southern and western slopes of the Darwin volcano on the island. Isabela. In the 19th century in large quantities harvested by whaling ships. Now the population numbers from 500 to 1000 individuals. Reproduction appears to be going well. The population is severely undermined by rats, feral cats, dogs and pigs.

Rice. 36. Hispaniola elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus hoodensis

Black elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus nigrita (Dumeril et Bibron, 1835)

Lives on about. Santa Cruz. Some taxonomists combine it with the subspecific form C. e. porteri.

Santacruz elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus porteri (Rotschild, 1903)

The main population lives in the southwest of the island. Santa Cruz. A small number of turtles survived in the northwest. In total, there are 2000-3000 recent individuals. The exploitation of turtles for the preparation of fat was carried out until the 1930s.

The breeding efficiency of the population has been undermined for many years by predation by dogs and pigs. Every year 15-20 young tortoises are taken to the research station of Charles Darwin for breeding.

Vandenburg elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus vandenburghi (Mertens et Wermuth, 1955)

Inhabits the Caldera and the southern slopes of the Aldero volcano on the island. Isabela. The largest population of tortoises in the Galapagos, numbering approximately 5,000 individuals. Its natural reproduction is carried out successfully.

Jervis elephant tortoise Chelonoidis elephantopus wallacei (Rotschild, 1902)

There are practically no data on the ecology of the subspecies. Found on about. Jervis in the Galapagos group.

More interesting articles

Perhaps both children and adults most often ask the same question: what animals live the longest? The answer is quite simple - among vertebrates, the undisputed record holders for longevity are giant and elephant tortoises that live in the Seychelles and Galapagos Islands. In the Seychelles, or rather, on the Aldabra atoll, which is part of this archipelago, lives giant turtle(Geochelone gigantea), and on the Galapagos Islands - elephant turtle(geochelone nigra, or Geochelone elephantopus). These amazing reptiles can live up to 180-200 years! For example, a turtle, presented in 1770 by the famous navigator Captain Cook to the Queen of the Congo, died in 1966. A real long-liver!

In addition, elephant turtles are the largest reptiles from the family of land turtles. The length of the shell of the largest males can reach 1.5 m, females - 1 m. Thick, really elephant-like legs support a massive body, the weight of which can be 100, and in the largest animals - even 400 kg! Turtles sometimes reach 1.5 m in height.

In elephant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands, the carapace (upper shell) descends steeply behind, but almost does not bend down in front, leaving a wide opening for the front legs and long neck with a small head. Males are noticeably larger than females and have a longer tail.

The shell of this subspecies of tortoise with Galapagos Islands called saddle

The name of the Galapagos Islands comes from the Spanish word galapago- "big tortoise" In the first half of the XVI century. there one could meet an innumerable number of giant tortoises, which peacefully grazed on the slopes of the mountains. But sailors very quickly realized how convenient it is to fill the holds of ships with these living canned food. Indeed, at that time, the Parisian chef Appert had not yet invented real canned food and the usual food for sailors who set off for the shores of distant unexplored countries was crackers, dried beans, peas and corned beef. But insects were planted in crackers and beans, rats ate them, and corned beef quickly deteriorated in hot countries. Even if people did not experience hunger, they often suffered from scurvy, because all their food supplies were poor in vitamins. That is why the huge fat turtles, which were easy to catch and very for a long time(sometimes about a year) could do without food and water, almost without losing weight, were unusually desirable prey for sailors. Galapagos Islands began to be used as a base where you can stock up fresh water and great free food. It can be said that elephant turtles helped mankind to make many geographical discoveries in the future ...

Nevertheless, as early as 1813, the explorer Porter met these turtles on all the Galapagos Islands in significant numbers. Later, several hundred exiles from the Republic of Ecuador were sent to the archipelago. New residents began to actively hunt turtles, and also brought domestic animals, including pigs, goats, dogs and cats, many of which became feral and began to actively exterminate turtle eggs and young.

In 1835, Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands during his round-the-world trip on the Beagle ship. By that time, turtles were still found on most of the islands of the archipelago. This is how the famous naturalist described his impressions. “I met two turtles, each of which weighed at least 100 kg. One of them was eating a piece of cactus and looked at me as I came closer and then walked quietly on; the other gave a dull hiss and drew her head in. The monstrous reptiles, surrounded by black lava, leafless shrubs and large cacti, seemed to me creatures of the primitive world. These animals are probably found on all the islands of this group, at least on most of them. They live preferably in high-lying damp places, but also visit low-lying dry areas. Turtles living on waterless islands or in low-lying and waterless places feed mainly on succulent cacti. Those that are found in upland and humid regions eat the leaves of various trees, the sour and tart berry called guava, the pale green lichens hanging in garlands from tree branches. They love water very much, they drink it in large quantities and willingly spend their time lying in the mud. Only the big islands have springs fresh water, and they always lie in the center of the island and at a considerable height. Thus, lowland turtles have to make long journeys when they are thirsty. The result of this was wide and well-trodden paths from the springs to the seashore. The Spaniards first discovered reservoirs by following these paths. When I landed on Chatham Island, I could not at first understand what animal could move so correctly along carefully chosen paths.

A wonderful sight presented itself at the springs. There were many of these great monsters; some hurried forward, stretching their necks far, while others, having already drunk, returned back. The turtle, having come to the source, plunges its head into the water deeper than its eyes, not paying attention to the spectators present, and eagerly drinks water, taking about 10 large sips per minute. locals it was said that each animal spends three or four days near the water and only then returns to the lowlands ... When the turtles go to certain place, they go day and night and come to the destination of their journey much faster than expected ... During the breeding season, when both sexes are together, - Darwin continues, - the male emits a hoarse roar or lowing, heard at a distance of more than 100 steps. The female never uses her voice. So when the cries of males are heard, we can say that mating has occurred.

The breeding season for elephant tortoises stretches from January to August (the Galapagos Islands are located south of the equator). After mating, the female digs a pitcher-shaped hole in the sand with her hind legs, in which she lays from 2 to 16 white spherical eggs 5–6 cm in diameter and weighing about 100 g each. After about 200 days, little turtles weighing about 70 g emerge from the eggs.

The locals consider the giant tortoises to be completely deaf - they really do not hear the steps of a person following them. Darwin wrote: “It always gave me pleasure to overtake one of these huge monsters, calmly walking along the road: at the moment when I passed, it retracted its head and legs and, emitting a low whistling sound, fell heavily, as if struck to death. Often I climbed on their backs, and after hitting the back of the shield several times, they would get up and crawl away, but it was already difficult for me to keep my balance.

The meat of this animal is widely eaten both fresh and salted, and a wonderful transparent oil is obtained from its fat. When a tortoise is caught, a human cuts its skin near the tail to see if the layer of fat under the dorsal shield is thick enough. If there is little fat, the animal is released, and it is said that it will soon recover from this operation.

In Darwin's time, the extermination of giant tortoises was very intensive. The population of the Galapagos Islands increased, and sailors continued to visit them in order to replenish their supplies. According to ship logs held in US libraries, it is estimated that from 1831 to 1868.
79 American whaling ships removed 13,013 turtles from the islands. But there were whaling ships of other countries! It is believed that since the discovery of the islands, sailors of all nations and nationalities have eaten 10 million elephant turtles! It's amazing how these animals even survived to this day. And it is not surprising that there are so few of them left.

True, fortunately for the turtles, after the invention of steam engines, whaling became so prolific that soon there were almost no whales left and the whalers were left out of work. And the invention of canned food and the appearance of refrigerators on ships led to the fact that the need for live canned turtles completely disappeared.

One of the few groups of elephant tortoises still found in the Galapagos Islands

Now the Galapagos boast 11 surviving subspecies (different from each other in the shape of the shell) and total strength turtles are about 15,000. Five living subspecies live on the large island of Isabela (one on each large volcano) and six on six small islands.

One of modern subspecies – Geochelone Nigra Abingdoni from the tiny island of Pinta - represented by a single elderly male named Lonely George, who has lived for many years on the island of Santa Cruz, at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists repeatedly looked for and brought brides to Lonesome George, but none of them produced offspring from him. What's the matter?

The analysis of the DNA of elephant turtles revealed an interesting picture. Eleven subspecies form four groups that diverged, based on the rate of accumulation of mutations that do not affect fitness, at least 2 million years ago. At the same time, turtles inhabiting the northernmost islands, as well as islands located in the extreme southeast of the archipelago, at a distance of about 300 km, turned out to be closest to each other.

If the turtles could swim, the answer would be simple - the ocean current is directed from the southeastern islands to the northern ones. But can land giants, having fallen into the sea, remain alive until they are washed ashore, located three hundred kilometers away? Very doubtful.

Whatever it is, if earlier brides for lonely George was looked for on the islands closest to the island of Pinta (the northernmost in the archipelago), now scientists want to try to introduce him to a turtle from the most remote islands. And maybe, last representative subspecies Abingdoni on Earth, it will finally be possible to leave offspring!

Based on materials

Brem A. Life of animals. T.4. - St. Petersburg: Russian Book Association "Activist", 1914.

Darevsky I.S., Orlov N.L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles. M.: graduate School, 1988.

Life of animals. T.4. Part 2. - M .: Education, 1969.

Nature. 2000. No. 10.

Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA. V.96. No. 23.

Elephant tortoise or Galapagos tortoise- one of the largest modern land tortoises. At one time they played the role of "live canned food", allowing sailors during their travels long time eat fresh meat. This was one of the reasons for the sharp decline in the number of turtles.

Elephant turtles live on the islands of the Galapagos archipelago. 12 subspecies are known, both quite small, living on small islands, and giant animals inhabiting large islands. Males are usually larger than females. The head of the Galapagos tortoises is relatively small and the necks are long. The mass of turtles living on large islands can reach 200 kilograms, and the length of the shell is 1.2 meters. Smaller subspecies reach a mass of 27 kilograms (females) and 50 kilograms (males) and have a specific saddle-shaped shell. The absence of predators that pose a danger to elephant tortoises has led to the fact that they have a shell that is wide open in front. But thanks to such a shell, reptiles got an excellent opportunity to reach very distant branches that have not yet been gnawed by other animals, which, when large numbers elephant turtles became very relevant. Probably another explanation for the unusual structure of the shell: its "openness" allows animals living in hot conditions to better regulate their body temperature. It is interesting that seafarers collected mostly smaller and, accordingly, more transportable females, and animal catchers made every effort to deliver the largest specimens to zoos. As a result, there were almost no females in the collections.

Galapagos tortoises are diurnal and feed on plants, including those that are poisonous to other animals. Turtles do not refuse carrion either. The time not taken up by eating, turtles spend in liquid mud, escaping from the heat and blood-sucking insects. At night, turtles dig shallow holes into which they hide the back of their bodies.

The breeding season is almost all year round, during this period, females lay up to 22 eggs (this is a lot for land turtles, the fecundity of most of them is less than a dozen eggs, often one or two). Under favorable conditions, the female can lay two clutches. The pits in which turtles lay their eggs are about 30 centimeters deep and in diameter. Females for laying eggs have long visited the same convenient places, as a result, the soil here is mixed with the remains of the shell. During the breeding season, animals behave extremely aggressively, and males can even fight with females: turtles hit each other with shells, bite. The pose of duelists is characteristic: each turtle tries to stretch its neck as much as possible in order to bite the enemy on the back of the head. The defeated individual retreats from the scene of the fight with maximum speed available to the turtle. Scientists have developed methods for restoring the number of elephant tortoises, up to the artificial insemination of females. Galapagos tortoises are more common in zoos. Due to their size (the length of the carapace is up to 122 centimeters), they are hardly suitable for private collections.

"Land Turtles". A.N. Gurzhiy
No part of the article may be reproduced without the written permission of the author and publishing house "Delta M"

Ever seen the most big turtle? Not? Today you will have a unique opportunity to get to know her - this is elephant turtle! We will tell you about this unusual form, as well as about the life of a reptile in nature.

Description of the giant elephant tortoise

elephant turtle refers to land species, growing in length to 1.8 meters with a body weight of 400 kg, and the body is covered with a powerful light brown bone shell. True to this moment these reptiles are threatened disappearance since 1970, and in the 20th century, the most famous “Lonely George” died, who was kept in captivity, after which a sudden decision was made to raise babies in captivity and release them to the islands. After all, one such turtle can live more than 100 years in the wild, and about 170 in captivity!

Friends, at the time of the 21st century number of elephant tortoises exceeded 19,000 and this is great news because these amazing creatures are no longer on the brink of extinction!

HABITAT AND INTERESTING FACTS OF THE GIANT TURTLE

Giant elephant tortoise habitat

Giant elephant tortoise inhabitants Galapagos Islands, for this reason they got their middle name "Galapagos tortoises". To this day, these reptiles are inhabitants of islands near the Pacific Ocean, but they can also be found near indian ocean on the island of Aldabra.

Turtles inhabit in very difficult climatic conditions With elevated temperature, which is why they try to live closer to tropical forests, in savannahs and overgrown bush arnica. It is interesting that the giant elephant tortoises move with caution during the daytime, and at night they lose their vigilance, although they do not really see anything in their path.

Interesting Giant Elephant Tortoise Facts

Lichens often grow on the shells of turtles.

Despite its impressive size, the turtle can easily pull its neck with its head into the shell and hide its limbs there.

Turtles feed exclusively on vegetation.

Reptiles breed at any time of the year

There can be 22 eggs in one clutch

So, friends, we learned about elephant turtle a lot of interesting: general characteristics, habitat and lifestyle, as well as great news - these creatures are no longer threatened with extinction!

VIDEO: ABOUT THE TURTLE

IN THIS VIDEO, WE OFFER YOU TO WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT THE GIANT ELEPHANT TURTLE

Elephant, or Galapagos tortoise (lat. Chelonoidis nigra) - the largest representative of the family on our planet Land turtles(lat. Testudinidae). Elephant turtles appeared on Earth around Triassic period 250-200 million years ago. For all this time appearance reptiles remained virtually unchanged.

Now 15 subspecies of the elephant tortoise are known, of which 5 subspecies have already become extinct.

Humans and elephant turtles

In 1535, the Spaniards discovered the archipelago in pacific ocean 972 km west of Ecuador. There were so many giant tortoises on its islands that they called it the Galapagos Islands (Spanish: Galpago - “ water turtle"). At that time, their population was more than 250,000 individuals.

According to the records of travelers of those years, huge reptiles weighing up to 400 kg and up to 180 cm long were not uncommon at that time.

The Spaniards began to use them first in the form of live canned food, and later to obtain turtle oil, used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes to rejuvenate the skin. In the destruction of elephant turtles, pirates were especially distinguished, who in the 17th-18th centuries had their own numerous bases on the archipelago. In the 19th century, whalers, who killed females who came to lay eggs, caused particular damage to the population.

Feral dogs, pigs and cats have also appeared on the Galapagos Islands, eating small turtles. Donkeys, goats and rats brought to the islands ravaged turtle nests. Herbivores doomed adult reptiles to starvation, sometimes cleanly nibbling at the sparse vegetation.

In 1974, there were only 3,060 elephant tortoises left. In order to preserve the species on Santa Cruz Island, a scientific station, whose employees collect turtle eggs, and later release the grown juveniles into the wild. Thanks to the efforts made, by the end of 2009, their population already numbered 19,317 individuals.

The Galapagos Islands belong to Ecuador. On the uninhabited islands of the archipelago, the government of Ecuador in 1934 banned the capture of elephant tortoises, and in 1959 founded national park. Them artificial breeding started in 1965. From 8 turtles caught, biologists collected the first batch of eggs and, with the help of an incubator, received the first "artificial" turtles.

Behavior

Elephant turtles are diurnal. They like to gather in small groups of 20-30 individuals and bask in sun-dried areas with volcanic soil.

During the dry season, the turtles leave the lowlands and rise to the vegetated uplands. In the rainy season, they descend back into the warm lowlands, which are covered with lush greenery.

Reptiles walk the same paths every day from generation to generation, periodically arranging halts to refresh themselves, rest or swim. During the rest, the turtle periodically raises its head high to look around the surroundings.

During the day, the elephant turtle travels up to 4 km.

With the advent of dusk, reptiles hide in depressions dug in the ground or in thickets. They thrive best in liquid mud or silty waters. The nights on the islands are cold, so the heat in such reservoirs lasts longer.

The favorite delicacy of giants is the juicy pulp of prickly pear. Having found a tasty fruit or an appetizing leaf, the reptile holds it with its paw and bites off piece by piece. First, slices of the fruit are cut off with a sharp beak, and then rubbed with jaws and a fleshy tongue.

In the dry season, when it is very difficult to find moisture, the turtle obtains water by eating cacti. Let her survive the drought large stocks fat, which, when broken down, provides the body with water.

At the slightest danger, the turtle hides in its shell, pulling in its paws, neck and head. The bent front paws cover the head, and the soles of the hind paws cover the gap between the plastron and the carapace.

reproduction

In the mating season, males show extraordinary agility and activity. They constantly scurry around the island in search of a female. If a competitor meets on the road, a fight cannot be avoided.

Rivals first shake their heads menacingly and open their mouths, and then with a loud puff they rush at each other, trying to bite the enemy by the neck or legs. Sometimes a more dexterous male manages to knock down the enemy and turn him over on his back. The defeated fighter sways with all his might, trying to get to his feet.

In a turtle turned on its back, blood circulation is sharply disturbed, and all internal organs reptiles begin to experience oxygen starvation. With a very long stay in this position, she can even die, so she tries to quickly return to her usual position. The defeated competitor runs away from the battlefield, and the proud winner gets the right to procreate.

After fertilization, the male immediately leaves the female. Breeding can take place all year round, but seasonal activity peaks in June and February.

Females go to lay eggs in the same places with dry and sandy soil.

Within a few hours, or even days, the female digs the nest with her hind legs. The depth of the nest is about 30-40 cm. The female lays from 2 to 17 round white eggs in it, about 5 cm in diameter and weighing from 80 to 150 g.

In different subspecies, the size of the eggs may vary slightly. One female can dig and fill up to 3 holes with eggs. The reptile digs in the finished masonry and carefully smoothes the surface with its paws. A hard, dry crust soon forms on the surface, but the nest itself maintains the moisture necessary for incubation.

Turtles are born after 2-3 months at the beginning of the rainy season. In case of prolonged drought, incubation can last up to 8 months. Without rain, the turtles simply cannot get out through the hard crust.

Newborns weigh about 50-90 g and are left to themselves from the first hours of their lives. Their body length does not exceed 6 cm. During the day they hide in shelters, and at night they carefully go out to feed on young grass.

Grown up juveniles at 10-15 years of age gradually move to higher elevations richer in food. Sex in elephant tortoises can only be determined at the age of more than 15 years. They become sexually mature at the age of 40. In captivity, puberty occurs much earlier - by 20-25 years.

Description

The body length of adult Galapagos tortoises is about 120 cm and weighs 200-300 kg. Front edge powerful shell is curved. The horny shields of the carapace grow throughout life, becoming thicker every year.

The legs are massive, columnar. Paws are five-toed. All 5 fingers are armed with long strong claws. The head is flat. The muzzle is clearly narrowed in front. The nostrils are located at the tip of the muzzle.

The neck is long and mobile. It is covered with soft, supple leather and can stretch like an accordion. The upper and lower jaws are devoid of teeth and have very sharp curved edges, which are covered with horny plates. The eyes are small and oval, black. The life expectancy of elephant turtles exceeds 100 years.

Long-lived turtle

The long-lived elephant tortoise Harriet is considered to be the longest-lived elephant tortoise, which Charles Darwin brought to Britain from the Galapagos Islands in 1835. The turtle was the size of a plate, so it was assumed that she was born in 1830.

In 1841, she came to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens in Australia. Since 1960 she has lived in Australian zoo. On November 15, 2005, the Australians solemnly celebrated her 175th birthday. The "baby" weighed 150 kg.

On June 23, 2006, the centenarian died suddenly after a short illness from heart failure.