giant tortoise
Massive shelled reptile
Giant tortoises are the largest living tortoises, found primarily in the Galápagos Islands and Seychelles.
They can weigh over 400 pounds and live well past 100 years—among the longest-lived vertebrates.
Their slow metabolism and island habitats with few predators allowed them to grow to remarkable size: The giant tortoise lumbered across the volcanic rock.
Protective dorsal exoskeleton
- plastronVentral shell portion
- scuteHorny protective plate
- saddlebackDip between two peaks
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
beak · keratin · cold-blooded · ectotherm · chelonian · herpetology · reptilian · oviparous
Person over ninety-nine
- lifespanTotal existence duration
- HarrietFemale given name
- JonathanHebrew name, "God-given"
- slow metabolismInefficient energy conversion rate
aging · venerable · ancient · survival · generations · patriarch · matriarch · age verification
British naturalist, species theorist
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- EcuadorCountry at zero latitude
- volcanic islandsLand formed by underwater eruptions
- Santa CruzCalifornia coastal university city
Isabela · Beagle · endemic · finches · marine iguana · ecotourism · World Heritage Site · research station
Reproducing animals under human care
- reintroductionAct of bringing back
- habitat restorationReviving degraded natural environments
- species recoveryRebuilding threatened animal populations
- population declineDecreasing number of inhabitants
genetic diversity · wildlife sanctuary · protected areas · endangered · critically endangered · CITES · poaching · illegal trade
Feeding on pasture
- baskingWarming oneself pleasantly
- wallowingIndulging without restraint
- mud bathTherapeutic immersion in sediment
- slow-movingProgressing at low speed
plodding · leisurely · migration · watering hole · territorial · mating ritual · nesting · burrowing
carapace
Protective dorsal exoskeleton
- plastronVentral shell portion
- scuteHorny protective plate
- saddlebackDip between two peaks
herbivore · beak · keratin · cold-blooded · ectotherm · chelonian · herpetology · reptilian · oviparous · clutch
centenarian
Person over ninety-nine
slow metabolism · aging · venerable · ancient · survival · generations · patriarch · matriarch · age verification
Darwin
British naturalist, species theorist
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- EcuadorCountry at zero latitude
- volcanic islandsLand formed by underwater eruptions
Santa Cruz · Isabela · Beagle · endemic · finches · marine iguana · ecotourism · World Heritage Site · research station · naturalist
captive breeding
Reproducing animals under human care
- reintroductionAct of bringing back
- habitat restorationReviving degraded natural environments
- species recoveryRebuilding threatened animal populations
population decline · genetic diversity · wildlife sanctuary · protected areas · endangered · critically endangered · CITES · poaching · illegal trade · conservation status
grazing
Feeding on pasture
- baskingWarming oneself pleasantly
- wallowingIndulging without restraint
- mud bathTherapeutic immersion in sediment
slow-moving · plodding · leisurely · migration · watering hole · territorial · mating ritual · nesting · burrowing · thermoregulation
massive
Extremely large and heavy
heavyweight · enormous · colossal · immense · hefty · megafauna · bulky · formidable
- island wildlifemarine iguana, Darwin's finches, kakapo, kiwi, kiwi bird
- South American animalsjaguar, capybara, llama, alpaca, piranha
- tropical islandsatolls, coral islands, volcanic islands, lagoons, reefs
- long-livedbristlecone pine, bowhead whale, redwood, sequoia, baobab
- slow animalssloth, snail, slug, three-toed sloth, two-toed sloth
- Extinct Herbivoresmammoth, woolly mammoth, mastodon, triceratops, stegosaurus
giant tortoisecheetah
Fastest land animal
hummingbird · hare · roadrunner · swift · greyhound
giant tortoisesea turtle
Ocean-dwelling shelled reptile
leatherback turtle · marine turtle · green sea turtle · loggerhead turtle · freshwater turtle
giant, gigantic, tortoise, giants, tortoises, giantess, tortoiseshell, gigantism, tortoiselike