Tortoise
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| Aldabra giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) from Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles. | |
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A tortoise is a reptile of the order Testudines which lives on land. Like their aquatic cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. Most are quite small, but island tortoises have several times evolved to a large size: those on the Galapagos are famous. Darwin made one of his rare mistakes when he did not note which island each of them came from. Later it became clear that they were slightly different on different islands.
Further reading
- Chambers, Paul. A sheltered life: the unexpected history of the giant tortoise. John Murray (Publishers), London. 2004. Template:Catalog lookup linkScript error: No such module "check isxn"..
- Gerlach, Justin. Giant tortoises of the Indian Ocean. Chimiara publishers, Frankfurt. 2004
Gallery
- Tortoise-Hatchling.jpg
A baby Testudo marginata emerges from its shell
- Aldabra.giant.tortoise.arp.jpg
Aldabra Giant Tortoise Geochelone gigantea
- Gigantic Turtle on the Island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos.JPG
Galápagos tortoise on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Islands
- Gigantic galapagos turtle on the island of santa cruz.JPG
Gigantic galapagos turtle, Chelonoidis nigra on the island of Santa Cruz
Related pages
Other websites
| 40x40px | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Testudinidae. |
| 40x40px | Wikispecies has information on: Testudinidae. |
- Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society* Tortoise World - Several Types of Tortoises
- Chelonia: Conservation and Care of Turtles.
- Infotortuga
