Amazing Facts About
the Galapagos Giant Tortoise
G'day folks,
Welcome to some interesting facts about a slow creature.
Living up to its name, the Galapagos Giant Tortoise is the
biggest tortoise in the world. They're also one of the laziest, sleeping for
nearly 16 hours a day!
- Giant Tortoises used to
inhabit every continent except Antarctica.
- Giant Galapagos Tortoises
are not all the same, with almost every island of the Galapagos having its
own subspecies.
- The temperature that the
eggs are incubated in determines whether they will gestate into males or
females. A higher temperature means that more males will be born.
- They can sleep for nearly 16
hours a day.
- Their slow metabolism and
ability to take on large volumes of water helps them survive for up to a
year without eating or drinking.
- Spanish sailors who
discovered the archipelago named it after the abundant tortoises – Galápago
means tortoise in Spanish.
Clancy's comment: Absolutely whopping, eh?
I'm ...
