The Gentle Giants

by Jane Sullivan • photos by Shirley Ramaley

“Hey, look at this guy. He looks just like E.T.” I squatted down to look in awe at a creature that, before this, I had only read about: the Galapagos tortoise. They are the largest known living tortoises in the world.

“You’re right on that,” our guide answered. “E.T. was modeled after the Galapagos tortoise.” With our guide, we wandered through the upland meadows of the island of Santa Cruz to view these gentle giants up close. Santa Cruz is one of the Galapagos Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Spanish sailors, who discovered the islands in 1535, named them after the many tortoises which lived there. Galápago is a Spanish word for turtle.

Over 100,000 giant tortoises existed on the Galapagos Islands when the Spanish sailors first came there. By 1947, the population had dwindled to about 14,000. Today the Charles Darwin Research Center helps protect them. Tortoise eggs are brought to the Center, where they are hatched and raised. When the young tortoises are large enough to survive on their own, they are returned to the wild to live. A Galapagos tortoise can live to the ripe old age of 200 years.

Some people might call this animal a turtle. While that is not wrong, it is not quite correct. A tortoise is a kind of turtle that lives on land. A full-grown Galapagos tortoise can weigh as much as 500 pounds. Some are six feet long from head to tail. As large as they are, they are no danger to visiting tourists. We passed by many, stopping to watch them munch on a meal of green grass. They studied us as closely as we studied them.

Galapagos tortoises lead uncomplicated lives grazing on grass, leaves, and cactus. They spend a lot of time basking in the sun, napping nearly 16 hours a day. They have a slow metabolism and can store large amounts of water inside their bodies. This means they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

Years ago, people who came to the islands brought pigs, dogs, cats, rats, goats, and cattle with them. Now these animals are a threat to the Galapagos tortoises’ food supply and eggs. The tortoises are listed as an endangered species. They are being strictly protected by the government of Ecuador.

Some zoos, such as the San Diego Zoo in California, have Galapagos tortoises that they care for. So it is not necessary to travel all the way to the Galapagos Islands to see one. But the thrill of stooping down to look eye-to-eye at one of these awesome creatures in the wild is worth the trip!