Animal Facts
Scientific Name
Chelonoidis porteri
Range
Dry grassy and rocky areas on the Galápagos Islands
Location in the Zoo
Galápagos Islands
Cool Animal Fact
Galápagos tortoises are the largest species of tortoise in the world. While males average 500 pounds and females average 250 pounds, the largest confirmed male weighed over 900 pounds!
How we Help Save Them
- The Zoo provides salaries, support, and equipment for people protecting tortoises and other wildlife in Galapagos. They fit wild Galapagos tortoises with satellite tracking devices and collect movement data. This information will be used to design future protection plans for wild tortoises.
- The Zoo provides support for teenagers from the Galapagos to protect sea turtles and giant tortoises. They create programs to monitor sea turtle nests and prevent tortoises and local wildlife from being hit by cars.
- The Zoo provides support for Galapagos teenagers to remove invasive plants (plants that are not supposed to be in an area) from the Galapagos Islands, helping to protect wildlife that depend on native/local plants for food.
