The last of this brief series.
Thanks for looking and for the kind words expressed.
Land tortoises (galapagos in Spanish) were the first important reason that brought sailing vessels to the islands.. Thousands of the giants (+/- 500 pounds) were taken to whaling vessels and flipped on their backs until it was their turn to be cooked and eaten.
We saw none in the wild because they lived mainly at higher elevations. But at the beginning of my 2-week cruise among the islands, our guide took us to the Darwin Institute, and we looked at some of the breeding stock. Representatives from each of the islands were kept separate from those from other islands because the animals varied in physical structure according to the islands where their ancestors lived.
When the babies were big enough to survive in the wild (introduced species, i.e. rats, cats, etc. preyed on the very young), they were taken to "their" island and released.
The man in the little compound is the caretaker.
Beautiful colors in these, Charlie. Detail look fine as well.
I can't help feeling sorry for these animal thinking they have to carry such an heavy weight on their back for their entire life. But then, it is the best (and closest) refuge to save their life
Socrate
Thanks, Socrate.
At least the tortoises have legs that can lift them off the ground so they can walk around looking for rabbits to race .
Tortoises live long lives (100+ years in many cases).
The green sea turtles are built for swimming and the females drag their butts around on the sand only when they lay eggs.
Both species are huge.
Charlie
Charlie, I love the first shot as a "natural" looking one. Great expression, although I am pretty sure they don't change expression for 500 years! The other shots are quite amazing and frankly I didn't even know that captive breeding took place. I wonder how long the process from hatching to release ...to get to the size they seem to be in that shot with the caretaker must take years.
Eric
Thanks Bee, Eric and Ken.
From hatching to release takes a few years- as I remember.
To get to this size A long time for sure.
One problem is they can live so long that scientists aren't sure HOW long they can live. It's safe to say that some live 100+ years.
Except for man, adults never had any predators.
Charlie
A long time for sure.
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