Testudo elephantopus - Galápagos tortoise - considered the largest species of all existing in the world today turtles.The adult has a weight of about one hundred and fifty - two hundred kilograms.People met and giant tortoise, weighing up to four kilograms.These reptiles are the rarest form.Today, there are about sixteen subspecies.All are listed as endangered.
Galapagos tortoises have a huge shell.Its length reaches one hundred and ten, and height - about sixty centimeters.Maintaining strong and heavy trunk provide thick columnar legs.Carapace (dorsal part of the A tank) falls back quite sharply.Front, he almost falls down.Thus, there remains a fairly wide opening for the neck (long and relatively thin), and the front legs.Galápagos tortoise female slightly less than male, who is also a long tail.
In their habitat, these animals are the most outstanding representatives.When in the 17th century were discovered the Galapagos Islands, Galápagos tortoise was very common in this area.It should be noted that these animals are very easily accessible with food.In this regard, the pirates and whalers filled the holds of ships and individuals living journeyed.Galápagos tortoise can live without food or water from twelve to fourteen months without significantly losing weight.Thus, the sailors during their travels were always provided with fresh meat, free from hunger and scurvy.However, this mass slaughter of animals resulted in a significant reduction in the population.Rough calculations indicate that for three centuries, was destroyed about ten million elephant turtles.This caught individuals of medium and small sizes.And that, as a rule, were immatures and females, who often went down to the lowlands for oviposition.
elephant turtle meat is widely eaten.His salted or used fresh.Turtle oil was used to produce a remarkable clear oil.In order to see whether there is enough fat in individuals caught, incised skin at the tail.If it appears a little fat, the turtle released.They say that animals recover quickly enough from a "transaction".
was very intense destruction of elephant skulls in Darwin's time.With the advent of the steam engine, the invention of canned whale population reduction, and at the same time the popularity of the whaling industry, the interest in turtles as food supplies disappeared completely.
However, after some time in the area of wildlife habitat were Ecuadorian settlers.They were brought to the islands of goats, dogs, horses, cats, pigs.Some representatives of imported animals, wild, spread across the hillsides.Pigs, dogs and cats began to eat turtle eggs.Horses, goats, cows and other herbivores began to destroy the vegetation, thus depriving, adult turtles feed.Reduction of the population in this period contributed to the production of tortoise oil.The settlers were caught the biggest fish, from which you can get a lot of features of the product.
ivory turtles brought to many zoos around the world.There they live a hundred years or more.These animals are very unpretentious.They only need the sun, heat, water and an abundance of plant foods.It is noted that elephant turtle love tomatoes.They tend to subject any of red, hoping to find in him a favorite treat.Many zoos involved in breeding these animals.So, very successful work for the removal of juveniles is carried out in the San Diego Zoo.
