Giant Tortoises
The home to two to three thousand giant tortoises is in the Galapagos Islands which are 600 miles west of South America. Males weigh 500 to 600 pounds and the females are in the 300 pound range. Ancestors of these heavy creatures have slowly moved through history for hundreds or thousands of years. These giants on this island may live up to 150 years.
Perhaps their secret to longevity is the way they spend their days. By eight in the morning they finally wake up and bask in the sun for about an hour. The rest of the day is spent meandering around within a few hundred yards in search of food. He retires for the night at 5 p.m. 16 hours of the day is consumed in sleep.
This lackadaisical life style is seldom interrupted unless if it is for mating. The male spots the female by smelling her scent. His courtship methods is to intimidate her. First he rams her at the front of her shell with his 500 to 600 pound body. He then nips at her exposed legs. His method is to get her to draw in her legs and show she will become immobilized and make the mating easier for him.
The female forms a nest by excavating a cavity to deposit her eggs. She lays nine eggs. After they are laid she covers up the cavity so the eggs can hatch
Ecuador owns the Galapagos islands. The tortoises are protected because the islands are a national park. Tortoises are protected from being captured or being hunted and it is illegal for an endangered species to be exported except for scientific research or exchange.