The Galápagos tortoise, also called the Galápagos giant tortoise, is a very large species of tortoise in the genus Chelonoidis. The species comprises 15 subspecies. It is the largest living species of
Galapagos giant tortoise Geochelone elephantopus
Engraving of giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands, from "The Royal Natural History" (1896).
C. n. abingdonii Lonesome George at the Charles Darwin Research Station, in 2006
Intermediate (C. n. chathamensis)
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, 485 nautical miles west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Provi
Galápagos tortoise
…discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning "tortoise". Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands. Shell size and shape vary between subspecies and populations. On islands with humid highlands and abundant low vegetation, the tortoises are larger…
Galapagos sea lion on San Cristóbal Island
A photograph of the Galápagos Islands from the International Space Station in October 2020. North is to the right. The sunglint reveals features usually difficult to spot, including the crater lake in the caldera of La Cumbre, the shield volcano that formed Fernandina Island. More details via click-through.
Isabela seen from the Spot Satellite
From an aircraft flying out of Baltra Island (on the right) and the Santa Cruz (on the left), the Itabaca Channel is the waterway between the islands.