118-460: 12 extant subspecies, 2 extinct subspecies See section The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise ( Chelonoidis niger ) is a very large species of tortoise in the genus Chelonoidis (which also contains three smaller species from mainland South America ). The species comprises 15 subspecies (13 extant and 2 extinct ). It is the largest living species of tortoise, and can weigh up to 417 kg (919 lb). They are also
236-638: A World Heritage Site in Tenerife . Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain and the 3rd tallest volcano in the world , measured from its base on the ocean floor. The islands have warm summers and winters warm enough for the climate to be technically tropical at sea level. The amount of precipitation and the level of maritime moderation vary depending on location and elevation. The archipelago includes green areas as well as semi-desert. The islands' high mountains are ideal for astronomical observation, because they lie above
354-444: A biosphere reserve by UNESCO . Geologically it is one of the oldest of the archipelago. The insular capital is San Sebastian de La Gomera . Garajonay National Park is located on the island. Lanzarote is the easternmost island and one of the oldest of the archipelago, and it has shown evidence of recent volcanic activity. It has a surface of 845.94 km (326.62 sq mi), and a population of 149,183 inhabitants, including
472-666: A 2024 study by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, there is archaeological evidence that the Romans were the first to colonise the islands, during the period from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. There was no overlap with the occupation by the people who were inhabiting the islands at the time of the Spanish conquest, who had first arrived sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE. As José Farrujia describes, 'The indigenous Canarians lived mainly in natural caves, usually near
590-606: A South American ancestor, while the Indian Ocean tortoises derived from ancestral populations on Madagascar. At the end of the 19th century, Georg Baur and Walter Rothschild recognised five more populations of Galápagos tortoise. In 1905–06, an expedition by the California Academy of Sciences , with Joseph R. Slevin in charge of reptiles, collected specimens which were studied by Academy herpetologist John Van Denburgh . He identified four additional populations, and proposed
708-630: A greater chance of surviving the journey over water from the mainland as they can hold their heads a greater height above the water level and have a smaller surface area/volume ratio , which reduces osmotic water loss. Their significant water and fat reserves would allow the tortoises to survive long ocean crossings without food or fresh water, and to endure the drought-prone climate of the islands. A larger size allowed them to better tolerate extremes of temperature due to gigantothermy . Fossil giant tortoises from mainland South America have been described that support this hypothesis of gigantism that pre-existed
826-566: A large degree of autonomy. In fact, the islands do not enjoy any special degree of autonomy, as each one of the Spanish regions is considered an autonomous community , with equal status to the European ones. Under the Law of the Sea , the only islands not granted territorial waters or an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are those that are not fit for human habitation, or do not have an economic life of their own, which
944-616: A large unprotected gap remains over the neck, evidence of the lack of predation during the evolution of this structure. Larger islands with humid highlands over 800 m (2,600 ft) in elevation, such as Santa Cruz, have abundant vegetation near the ground. Tortoises native to these environments tend to have domed shells and are larger, with shorter necks and limbs. Saddleback tortoises originate from small islands less than 500 m (1,600 ft) in elevation with dry habitats (e.g. Española and Pinzón) that are more limited in food and other resources. Two lineages of Galápagos tortoises possess
1062-595: A single species, C. niger . This was followed by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group and the Reptile Database later that year. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Extinct In 2007, an Abingdon Island hybrid was found on Isabela Island, suggesting that there may still be a living Abingdon Island tortoise in the wild. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Vulnerable Recent research indicates that
1180-427: A site occupied from 1,600 years ago up until the 1960s, round stone houses, complex burial sites, and associated artefacts have been found. Across the islands are thousands of Libyco-Berber alphabet inscriptions scattered and they have been extensively documented by many linguists. The social structure of indigenous Canarians encompassed "a system of matrilineal descent in most of the islands, in which inheritance
1298-442: A volcanic ridge on La Palma, in 2021 . The Teide volcano on Tenerife is the highest mountain in Spain, and the third tallest volcano on Earth on a volcanic ocean island. All the islands except La Gomera have been active in the last million years. Four of them, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro, have historical records of eruptions since European discovery. The islands rise from Jurassic oceanic crust associated with
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#17328559881261416-494: Is La Graciosa , which administratively is dependent on Lanzarote. The archipelago includes many smaller islands and islets, including Alegranza , Isla de Lobos , Montaña Clara , Roque del Oeste , and Roque del Este . It includes a number of rocks, including Garachico and Anaga . In ancient times, the island chain was often referred to as "the Fortunate Isles". The Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain , and
1534-505: Is 1,560 km (600 sq mi). Roque Nublo 1,813 metres (5,948 feet) and Pico de las Nieves ("Peak of Snow") 1,949 metres (6,394 feet) are located in the center of the island. On the south of the island are the Maspalomas Dunes (Gran Canaria). La Gomera (informally known as 'Isla Colombina') has an area of 369.76 km (142.77 sq mi) and is the second least populous island with 21,136 inhabitants. It has been declared
1652-497: Is a member of the team making this classification. Pinzón Island When it was discovered that the central, small island of Pinzón had only 100–200 very old adults and no young tortoises had survived into adulthood for perhaps more than 70 years, the resident scientists initiated what would eventually become the Giant Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Program. Over the next 50 years, this program resulted in major successes in
1770-513: Is a tortoise species endemic to the Galápagos Islands . It includes at least 14, and possibly up to 16, subspecies . Only 12 subspecies now exist: one on each of the islands of Santiago , San Cristóbal , Pinzón , Española , and Fernandina ; two on Santa Cruz ; one on each of the five main volcanoes of the largest island, Isabela ( Wolf , Darwin, Alcedo , Sierra Negra , and Cerro Azul ); and one, abingdoni from Pinta Island, which
1888-403: Is considered extinct as of June 24, 2012. The subspecies inhabiting Floreana Island ( Chelonoidis niger niger ) is thought to have been hunted to extinction by 1850, only years after Charles Darwin 's landmark visit of 1835 in which he saw carapaces but no live tortoises on the island; however, hybrid tortoises with C. n. niger ancestry still exist in the modern day. Biological taxonomy
2006-504: Is extensive with the Aldabra giant tortoise , however taken as a subspecies, the Galápagos tortoise seems to average slightly larger, with weights in excess of 185 kg (408 lb) being slightly more commonplace. Weights in the larger bodied subspecies range from 272 to 317 kg (600 to 699 lb) in mature males and from 136 to 181 kg (300 to 399 lb) in adult females. However,
2124-490: Is mostly concentrated in the two capital islands: around 43% on the island of Tenerife and 40% on the island of Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, are a major tourist destination, with over 16 million visitors in 2023. This is due to their beaches, subtropical climate , and important natural attractions, especially Maspalomas in Gran Canaria and Mount Teide ,
2242-431: Is not fixed, and placement of taxa is reviewed as a result of new research. The current categorization of subspecies of Chelonoidis niger is shown below. Also included are synonyms, which are now discarded duplicate or incorrect namings. Common names are given but may vary, as they have no set meaning. Prior to the 2000s, all members of this group were classified as subspecies in a single species, Chelonoidis niger . From
2360-691: Is not the case of the Canary Islands. There are some pro-independence political parties, like the National Congress of the Canaries (CNC) and the Popular Front of the Canary Islands . Their popular support is almost insignificant, with no presence in either the autonomous parliament or the cabildos insulares . In a 2012 study by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas , when asked about national identity,
2478-464: Is now western Morocco in the early first century AD . That same naval force was subsequently sent on an exploration of the Canary Islands, using Mogador as their mission base. The names given by Romans to the individual islands were Ninguaria or Nivaria (Tenerife), Canaria (Gran Canaria), Pluvialia or Invale (Lanzarote), Ombrion (La Palma), Planasia (Fuerteventura), Iunonia or Junonia (El Hierro) and Capraria (La Gomera). From
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#17328559881262596-566: Is retained in their depiction on the islands' coat-of-arms. Other theories speculate that the name comes from the Nukkari Berber tribe living in the Moroccan Atlas, named in Roman sources as Canarii , though Pliny again mentions the relation of this term with dogs. The name of the islands is not derived from the canary bird ; rather, the birds are named after the islands. From west to east,
2714-467: Is the highest peak of Spain and a World Heritage Site . Tenerife is the site of the worst air disaster in the history of aviation, in which 583 people were killed in the collision of two Boeing 747s on 27 March 1977. Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa is a volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the island of Lanzarote across the Strait of El Río. It
2832-508: Is the oldest of the islands being more eroded. Its highest point is the Peak of the Bramble, at a height of 807 metres (2,648 feet). Its capital is Puerto del Rosario . Gran Canaria has 846,717 inhabitants. The capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , with 377,203 inhabitants, is the most populous city and shares the status of capital of the Canaries with Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Gran Canaria's surface area
2950-685: Is the second largest in the archipelago and located 100 km (62 mi) from the African coast. The islands form the Macaronesia ecoregion with the Azores , Cape Verde , Madeira , and the Savage Isles . The Canary Islands is the largest and most populated archipelago of the Macaronesia region. The archipelago has seven large and several smaller islands, all of which are volcanic in origin. According to
3068-550: The Canary hotspot . The Canary Islands is the only place in Spain where volcanic eruptions have been recorded during the Modern Era , with some volcanoes still active (El Hierro, 2011). Volcanic islands such as those in the Canary chain often have steep ocean cliffs caused by catastrophic debris avalanches and landslides . The island chain's most recent eruption occurred at Cumbre Vieja ,
3186-554: The Civil Guard are based in the territory. Before the arrival of humans, the Canaries were inhabited by prehistoric animals including the giant lizard ( Gallotia goliath ), the Tenerife and Gran Canaria giant rats , and giant tortoises, Geochelone burchardi and Geochelone vulcanica . Although the original settlement of what are now called the Canary Islands is not entirely clear, linguistic, genetic, and archaeological analyses indicate that indigenous peoples were living on
3304-539: The Galápagos Islands . Shell size and shape vary between subspecies and populations. On islands with humid highlands, the tortoises are larger, with domed shells and short necks; on islands with dry lowlands, the tortoises are smaller, with "saddleback" shells and long necks. Charles Darwin 's observations of these differences on the second voyage of the Beagle in 1835, contributed to the development of his theory of evolution . Tortoise numbers declined from over 250,000 in
3422-663: The Phoenicians , the Greeks , and the Carthaginians . King Juba II , Caesar Augustus 's Numidian protégé, is credited with discovering the islands for the Western world. According to Pliny the Elder , Juba found the islands uninhabited, but found "a small temple of stone" and "some traces of buildings". Juba dispatched a naval contingent to re-open the dye production facility at Mogador in what
3540-606: The Roques de Anaga , Garachico and Fasnia in Tenerife, and Salmor and Bonanza in El Hierro. El Hierro, the westernmost island, covers 268.71 km (103.75 sq mi). It is the second smallest of the major islands, and the least populous with 10,798 inhabitants. The whole island was declared a Reserve of the Biosphere in 2000. Its capital is Valverde . Also known as Ferro, it was once
3658-625: The Seychelles , and four from the Mascarenes . Günther hypothesized that all the giant tortoises descended from a single ancestral population which had spread by sunken land bridges . This hypothesis was later disproven by the understanding that the Galápagos, the atolls of Seychelles, and the Mascarene islands are all of recent volcanic origin and have never been linked to a continent by land bridges. Galápagos tortoises are now thought to have descended from
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3776-534: The Spanish Senate . Of these, 11 seats are directly elected, 3 for Gran Canaria, 3 for Tenerife, and 1 each for Lanzarote (including La Graciosa), Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. The other 3 are appointed by the regional legislature. The Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands has two provinces ( provincias ), Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife , whose capitals, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife , are capitals of
3894-475: The dragon tree , Dracaena draco are endemic, as noted by Sabin Berthelot and Philip Barker Webb in their work, L'Histoire Naturelle des Îles Canaries (1835–50). The climate is warm subtropical / tropical and generally arid , moderated by the sea and in summer by the trade winds . There are a number of microclimates and the classifications range mainly from semi-desert to desert . The majority of
4012-546: The temperature inversion layer. As a result, the archipelago has two professional astronomical observatories: the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma. In 1927, the Province of Canary Islands was split into two provinces. In 1982, the autonomous community of the Canary Islands was established. The cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are, jointly,
4130-712: The 14th century onward, numerous visits were made by sailors from Majorca , Portugal , and Genoa . Lancelotto Malocello settled on Lanzarote in 1312. The Majorcans established a mission with a bishop in the islands that lasted from 1350 to 1400. In 1402, the Castilian colonisation of the islands began with the expedition of the French explorers Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de la Salle , nobles and vassals of Henry III of Castile , to Lanzarote. From there, they went on to conquer Fuerteventura (1405) and El Hierro. These invasions were "brutal cultural and military clashes between
4248-675: The 16th century to a low of around 15,000 in the 1970s. This decline was caused by overexploitation of the subspecies for meat and oil, habitat clearance for agriculture, and introduction of non-native animals to the islands, such as rats, goats, and pigs. The extinction of most giant tortoise lineages is thought to have also been caused by predation by humans or human ancestors, as the tortoises themselves have no natural predators. Tortoise populations on at least three islands have become extinct in historical times due to human activities. Specimens of these extinct taxa exist in several museums and also are being subjected to DNA analysis. 12 subspecies of
4366-770: The 19th century had resulted in the complete eradication of all young tortoises. Black rats had been eating both tortoise eggs and hatchlings, effectively destroying the future of the tortoise population. Only the longevity of giant tortoises allowed them to survive until the Galápagos National Park, Island Conservation , Charles Darwin Foundation, the Raptor Center, and Bell Laboratories removed invasive rats in 2012. In 2013, heralding an important step in Pinzón tortoise recovery, hatchlings emerged from native Pinzón tortoise nests on
4484-520: The 19th century, and other giant tortoise radiations such as a Centrochelys radiation on the Canary Islands and another Chelonoidis radiation in the Caribbean were driven to extinction prior to that. The Galápagos Islands were discovered in 1535, but first appeared on the maps, of Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius , around 1570. The islands were named "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of
4602-425: The 2000s until 2021, the individual subspecies were instead classified as distinct species. However, a 2021 study analyzing the level of divergence within the extinct West Indian Chelonoidis radiation and comparing it to the Galápagos radiation found that the level of divergence within both clades may have been significantly overestimated, and supported once again reclassifying all Galápagos tortoises as subspecies of
4720-400: The African coast, the influence of the current diminishes, and the islands become increasingly arid. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote , the islands which are closest to the African mainland, are effectively desert or semi-desert. Gran Canaria is known as a "continent in miniature" for its diverse landscapes like Maspalomas and Roque Nublo . The north of Tenerife lies under the influence of
4838-518: The African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco . They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain . The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union . The seven main islands are from largest to smallest in area, Tenerife , Fuerteventura , Gran Canaria , Lanzarote , La Palma , La Gomera , and El Hierro . The only other populated island
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4956-474: The Canary Island's territorial waters as being Moroccan coast and Morocco has authorised gas and oil exploration in what the Canary Islands states to be Canarian territorial waters and Western Sahara waters. Morocco's official position is that international laws regarding territorial limits do not authorise Spain to claim seabed boundaries based on the territory of the Canaries, since the Canary Islands enjoy
5074-520: The Canary Islands are El Hierro , La Palma , La Gomera , Tenerife , Gran Canaria , Fuerteventura , Lanzarote , and La Graciosa . North of Lanzarote are the islets of Montaña Clara , Alegranza , Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste , belonging to the Chinijo Archipelago . Northeast of Fuerteventura is the islet of Lobos . There are a series of small adjacent rocks in the Canary Islands:
5192-551: The Canary Islands at least 2,000 years ago, possibly 3,000, and that they shared a common origin with the Berbers on the nearby North African coast. Reaching the islands may have taken place using several small boats, landing on the easternmost islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These groups came to be known collectively as the Guanches , although Guanches had been the name for only the indigenous inhabitants of Tenerife. According to
5310-516: The Canary Islands have a hot desert climate ( BWh ) and a hot semi-desert climate ( BSh ) within the Köppen system, caused partly due to the cool Canary Current . A subtropical humid climate, which is very influenced by the ocean, is in the middle of the islands of La Gomera , Tenerife and La Palma , where laurisilva cloud forests grow. The seven major islands, one minor island, and several small islets were originally volcanic islands, formed by
5428-478: The Cerro Fatal tortoises were described as a distinct taxon, donfaustoi . Prior to the identification of this subspecies through genetic analysis, it was noted that there existed differences in shells between the Cerro Fatal tortoises and other tortoises on Santa Cruz. By classifying the Cerro Fatal tortoises into a new taxon, greater attention can be paid to protecting its habitat, according to Adalgisa Caccone, who
5546-643: The Floreana and southern Isabela tortoises. Extinct [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Vulnerable At least one authority has suggested merging C. n. vicina with C. n. microphyes , C. n. vandenburghi and C. n. guentheri as the southern Isabela tortoise ( C. n. vicina ), putting morphological differences down to geographic variation. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Endangered At least one authority has suggested merging C. n. vicina with C. n. microphyes , C. n. vandenburghi and C. n. guentheri as
5664-476: The Galápagos tortoise was considered to belong to the genus Geochelone , known as 'typical tortoises' or 'terrestrial turtles'. In the 1990s, subgenus Chelonoidis was elevated to generic status based on phylogenetic evidence which grouped the South American members of Geochelone into an independent clade (branch of the tree of life ). This nomenclature has been adopted by several authorities. Within
5782-462: The Galápagos tortoises as a separate subspecies, which they named Testudo nigrita ("black tortoise"). The first systematic survey of giant tortoises was by the zoologist Albert Günther of the British Museum , in 1875. Günther identified at least five distinct populations from the Galápagos, and three from the Indian Ocean islands. He expanded the list in 1877 to six from the Galápagos, four from
5900-735: The Island of Santa Cruz and when observed it is concluded that despite the shared similarities of growth patterns and morphological changes observed during growth, the two lineages and two sexes can be distinguished on the basis of distinct carapace features. Lineages differ by the shape of the vertebral and pleural scutes. Females have a more elongated and wider carapace shape than males. Carapace shape changes with growth, with vertebral scutes becoming narrower and pleural scutes becoming larger during late ontogeny . List of subspecies of Gal%C3%A1pagos tortoise Chelonoidis niger (the Galápagos tortoise )
6018-503: The San Diego Zoo and joined the breeding group. After 40 years' work reintroducing captive animals, a detailed study of the island's ecosystem has confirmed it has a stable, breeding population. Where once 15 were known, now more than 1,000 giant tortoises inhabit the island of Española. One research team has found that more than half the tortoises released since the first reintroductions are still alive, and they are breeding well enough for
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#17328559881266136-456: The Sierra Negra volcano, which was the first of the island's volcanoes to form. The tortoises then spread north to each newly created volcano, resulting in the populations living on Volcan Alcedo and then Volcan Darwin. Recent genetic evidence shows that these two populations are genetically distinct from each other and from the population living on Sierra Negra ( C. guentheri ) and therefore form
6254-613: The Teide National Park was declared one of the 12 Treasures of Spain . The regional executive body, the Parliament of the Canary Islands , is presided over by Fernando Clavijo Batlle ( Canarian Coalition ), the current President of the Canary Islands . The members of the regional legislature, the Parliament of the Canary Islands , has 70 elected legislators. The last regional election took place in May 2023. The islands have 14 seats in
6372-684: The Tortoises) in reference to the giant tortoises found there. Initially, the giant tortoises of the Indian Ocean and those from the Galápagos were thought to be the same subspecies. Naturalists thought that sailors had transported the tortoises there. In 1676, the pre-Linnaean authority Claude Perrault referred to both subspecies as Tortue des Indes . In 1783, Johann Gottlob Schneider classified all giant tortoises as Testudo indica ("Indian tortoise"). In 1812, August Friedrich Schweigger named them Testudo gigantea ("gigantic tortoise"). In 1834, André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron classified
6490-462: The adjacent islets of the Chinijo Archipelago. The capital is Arrecife , with 56,834 inhabitants. The Chinijo Archipelago includes the islands La Graciosa , Alegranza , Montaña Clara , Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste . It has a surface of 40.8 km (15.8 sq mi), and only La Graciosa is populated, with 658 inhabitants. With 29 km (11 sq mi), La Graciosa is
6608-521: The archipelago, 14-15 subspecies of Galápagos tortoises have been identified, although only 12 survive to this day. Five are found on separate islands; five of them on the volcanoes of Isabela Island . Several of the surviving subspecies are seriously endangered. A 13th subspecies, C. n. abingdonii from Pinta Island , is extinct since 2012. The last known specimen, named Lonesome George , died in captivity on 24 June 2012; George had been mated with female tortoises of several other subspecies, but none of
6726-511: The autonomous community. Each of the seven major islands are ruled by an island council named a Cabildo Insular . Each island is subdivided into smaller municipalities ( municipios ). Las Palmas is divided into 34 municipalities , and Santa Cruz de Tenerife is divided into 54 municipalities . The international boundary of the Canaries is disputed in Morocco-Spain relations . In 2022 the UN declared
6844-603: The back legs four. The discoverer of the Galápagos Islands, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, wrote in 1535 of "such big tortoises that each could carry a man on top of himself." Naturalist Charles Darwin remarked after his trip three centuries later in 1835, "These animals grow to an immense size ... several so large that it required six or eight men to lift them from the ground". The largest recorded individuals have reached weights of over 400 kg (880 lb) and lengths of 1.87 meters (6.1 ft). Size overlap
6962-472: The bird Serinus canaria (canary) and the Phoenix canariensis palm. Four of Spain's thirteen national parks are located in the Canary Islands, more than any other autonomous community. Two of these have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the other two are part of Biosphere Reserves . The parks are: Teide National Park is the oldest and largest national park in the Canary Islands and one of
7080-406: The capitals of the islands. Those cities are also, respectively, the capitals of the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas . Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has been the largest city in the Canaries since 1768, except for a brief period in the 1910s. Between the 1833 territorial division of Spain and 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927, it
7198-412: The coast, 300 to 500 metres (1,000 to 1,600 ft) above sea level. These caves were sometimes isolated but more commonly formed settlements, with burial caves nearby'. Archaeological work has uncovered a rich culture visible through artefacts of ceramics , human figures, fishing, hunting and farming tools, plant fibre clothing and vessels, as well as cave paintings. At Lomo de los Gatos on Gran Canaria,
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#17328559881267316-442: The colonization of islands. Galápagos tortoises possess two main shell forms that correlate with the biogeographic history of the subspecies group. They exhibit a spectrum of carapace morphology ranging from "saddleback" (denoting upward arching of the front edge of the shell resembling a saddle) to "domed" (denoting a rounded convex surface resembling a dome). When a saddleback tortoise withdraws its head and forelimbs into its shell,
7434-465: The differences between the populations (sometimes called races ) from different islands and volcanoes, captive collections in zoos were indiscriminately mixed. Fertile offspring resulted from pairings of animals from different races. However, captive crosses between tortoises from different races have lower fertility and higher mortality than those between tortoises of the same race, and captives in mixed herds normally direct courtship only toward members of
7552-409: The eggs from these pairings hatched. The subspecies inhabiting Floreana Island ( C. niger ) is thought to have been hunted to extinction by 1850, only 15 years after Charles Darwin 's landmark visit of 1835, when he saw shells, but no live tortoises there. However, recent DNA testing shows that an intermixed, non-native population currently existing on the island of Isabela is of genetic resemblance to
7670-415: The existence of 15 subspecies. Van Denburgh's list still guides the taxonomy of the Galápagos tortoise, though now 10 populations are thought to have existed. The current specific designation of niger , formerly feminized to nigra ("black"— Quoy & Gaimard , 1824b) was resurrected in 1984 after it was discovered to be the senior synonym (an older taxonomic synonym taking historical precedence) for
7788-411: The extinct subspecies of Floreana ( C. n. niger )—a subspecies known only from subfossil remains. Some tortoises from Isabela were found to be a partial match for the genetic profile of Floreana specimens from museum collections, possibly indicating the presence of hybrids from a population transported by humans from Floreana to Isabela, resulting either from individuals deliberately transported between
7906-494: The indigenous population and the Castilians" lasting over a century due to formidable resistance by indigenous Canarians. Professor Mohamed Adhikari has defined the conquest of the islands as a genocide of the Guanches . Béthencourt received the title King of the Canary Islands, but still recognised King Henry III as his overlord. It was not a simple military enterprise, given the aboriginal resistance on some islands. Neither
8024-448: The island erupted . It is the second-highest island of the Canaries, with the Roque de los Muchachos at 2,423 metres (7,949 feet) as its highest point. Santa Cruz de La Palma , known to those on the island as simply "Santa Cruz", is its capital. Tenerife is, with its area of 2,034 km (785 sq mi), the most extensive island of the Canary Islands. With 904,713 inhabitants, it is
8142-584: The island and the Galápagos National Park successfully returned 118 hatchlings to their native island home. Partners returned to Pinzón Island in late 2014 and continued to observe hatchling tortoises (now older), indicating that natural recruitment is occurring on the island unimpeded. They also discovered a snail subspecies new to science. These exciting results highlight the conservation value of this important management action. In early 2015, after extensive monitoring, partners confirmed that Pinzón and Plaza Sur Islands are now both rodent-free. Española Island On
8260-414: The island for a long time after its sighting, leading to suggestions that the specimen was an artificial introduction from elsewhere. Fernandina has neither human settlements nor feral mammals, so if this subspecies ever did exist, its extinction would have been by natural means, such as volcanic activity. Nevertheless, there have occasionally been reports from Fernandina. In 2019, an elderly female specimen
8378-424: The island of Lanzarote. It is the smallest and least populated of the main islands, with about 700 people. Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the archipelago. Gran Canaria , with 865,070 inhabitants, is both the Canary Islands' second most populous island, and the third most populous one in Spain after Tenerife (966,354 inhabitants) and Majorca (896,038 inhabitants). The island of Fuerteventura
8496-508: The islands, or from individuals thrown overboard from ships to lighten the load. Nine Floreana descendants have been identified in the captive population of the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center on Santa Cruz; the genetic footprint was identified in the genomes of hybrid offspring. This allows the possibility of re-establishing a reconstructed subspecies from selective breeding of the hybrid animals. Furthermore, individuals from
8614-424: The largest and most populous archipelago of Macaronesia . Because of their location, the Canary Islands have historically been considered a link between the four continents of Africa , North America , South America , and Europe . In 2023, the Canary Islands had a population of 2,236,013, with a density of 299 inhabitants per km , making it the seventh most populous autonomous community of Spain. The population
8732-471: The largest extant terrestrial cold-blooded animals ( ectotherms ). With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates . Captive Galapagos tortoises can live up to 177 years. For example, a captive individual, Harriet , lived for at least 175 years. Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago , meaning "tortoise". Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of
8850-408: The largest island of the Chinijo Archipelago and the smallest inhabited island of the Canaries. La Palma, with 81,863 inhabitants covering an area of 708.32 km (273.48 sq mi), is in its entirety a biosphere reserve. For long it showed no signs of volcanic activity, even though the volcano Teneguía entered into eruption last in 1971. On 19 September 2021, the volcanic Cumbre Vieja on
8968-633: The level of divergence within both clades may have been significantly overestimated, and supported once again reclassifying all Galápagos tortoises as subspecies of a single species, C. niger . This was followed by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group and the Reptile Database later that year. The taxonomic status of the various races is not fully resolved. C. n. nigra ( nominate subspecies ) C. n. abingdoni C. n. becki C. n. chathamensis C. n. darwini C. n. duncanensis C. n. hoodensis C. n. phantastica C. n. porteri C. n. vicina Modern DNA methods have revealed new information on
9086-451: The limited evidence of bone fragments (but no shells, the most durable part) of 14 individuals, old eggs, and old dung found on the island in 1905–06. The island has never been inhabited by man nor had any introduced predators, but reports have been made of whalers hauling tortoises off the island. Later genetic studies of the bone fragments indicate that the Santa Fe subspecies was distinct, and
9204-406: The linking of nigra with the extinct Floreana subspecies. Later, Pritchard deemed it convenient to accept this designation, despite its tenuousness, for minimal disruption to the already confused nomenclature of the subspecies. The even more senior subspecies synonym of californiana ("californian" – Quoy & Gaimard , 1824a) is considered a nomen oblitum ("forgotten name"). Previously,
9322-536: The majority of respondents from the Canary Islands (53.8%) considered themselves Spanish and Canarian in equal measures, followed by 24% who consider themselves more Canarian than Spanish. 6.1% of the respondents considered themselves only Canarian, and 7% considered themselves only Spanish. The defense of the territory is the responsibility of the Spanish Armed Forces . Components of the Army , Navy , Air Force and
9440-591: The mid-late 19th century. Conservation efforts, beginning in the 20th century, have resulted in thousands of captive-bred juveniles being released onto their ancestral home islands, and the total number of the subspecies is estimated to have exceeded 19,000 at the start of the 21st century. Despite this rebound, all surviving subspecies are classified as Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature . The Galápagos tortoises are one of two insular radiations of giant tortoises that still survive to
9558-467: The modern day; the other is Aldabrachelys gigantea of Aldabra and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean , 700 km (430 mi) east of Tanzania . While giant tortoise radiations were common in prehistoric times, humans have wiped out the majority of them worldwide; the only other radiation of tortoises to survive to historic times, Cylindraspis of the Mascarenes , was driven to extinction by
9676-417: The moist Atlantic winds and is well vegetated. The south of the island around the tourist resorts of Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos is arid. The island rises to almost 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level. At altitude, in the cool relatively wet climate, forests of the endemic pine Pinus canariensis thrive. Many of the plant species in the Canary Islands, like the Canary Island pine and
9794-451: The most populated island of the archipelago and Spain. Two of the islands' principal cities are located on it: the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna , a World Heritage Site. San Cristóbal de La Laguna , the second city of the island, is home to the oldest university in the Canary Islands, the University of La Laguna . Teide , with its 3,715 metres (12,188 feet)
9912-511: The oldest in Spain. Located in the geographic centre of the island of Tenerife, it is the most visited national park in Spain. In 2010, it became the most visited national park in Europe and second worldwide. The park's highlight is the Teide volcano. Standing at an altitude of 3,715 metres (12,188 ft), it is the highest elevation in Spain and the third largest volcano on Earth from its base. In 2007,
10030-628: The opening of the Atlantic. Underwater magmatism began during the Cretaceous, and continued to the present day. The current islands reached the ocean's surface during the Miocene . The islands were once considered as a distinct physiographic section of the Atlas Mountains province, which is part of the larger African Alpine System division, but are now recognized as being related to a magmatic hot spot. In
10148-446: The original 14–15 survive in the wild; a 13th subspecies ( C. n. abingdonii ) had only a single known living individual, kept in captivity and nicknamed Lonesome George until his death in June 2012. Two other subspecies, C. n. niger (the type subspecies of Galápagos tortoise) from Floreana Island and an undescribed subspecies from Santa Fe Island are known to have gone extinct in
10266-428: The population to progress onward, unaided. In January 2020, it was widely reported that Diego, a 100-year-old male tortoise, resurrected 40% of the tortoise population on the island and is known as the "Playboy Tortoise". Fernandina Island The C. n. phantasticus subspecies from Fernandina was originally known from a single specimen—an old male from the voyage of 1905–06. No other tortoises or remains were found on
10384-550: The position of the islands with respect to the north-east trade winds , the climate can be mild and wet or very dry. Several native species form laurisilva forests. The individual islands in the Canary archipelago tend to have distinct microclimates . Those islands such as El Hierro , La Palma and La Gomera lying to the west of the archipelago have a climate which is influenced by the moist Canary Current . They are well vegetated even at low levels and have extensive tracts of sub-tropical laurisilva forest. Travelling east toward
10502-580: The prevailing northeasterly trade winds . The name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae , meaning "Islands of the Dogs", perhaps because monk seals or sea dogs were abundant, a name that was evidently generalized from the ancient name of one of these islands, Canaria – presumably Gran Canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder , the island Canaria contained "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size". The connection to dogs
10620-481: The recovery of giant tortoise populations throughout the archipelago. In 1965, the first tortoise eggs collected from natural nests on Pinzón Island were brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where they would complete the period of incubation and then hatch, becoming the first young tortoises to be reared in captivity. The introduction of black rats onto Pinzón sometime in the latter half of
10738-459: The regions of Cerro Montura, Cerro Fatal, and La Caseta. Although traditionally grouped into a single subspecies ( C. n. porteri ), the lineages are all more closely related to tortoises on other islands than to each other: Cerro Montura tortoises are most closely related to C. n. duncanensis from Pinzón, Cerro Fatal to C. n. chathamensis from San Cristóbal, and La Caseta to the four southern races of Isabela as well as Floreana tortoises. In 2015,
10856-407: The relationships between the subspecies: Isabela Island The five populations living on the largest island, Isabela, are the ones that are the subject of the most debate as to whether they are true subspecies or just distinct populations of a subspecies. It is widely accepted that the population living on the northernmost volcano, Volcan Wolf, is genetically independent from the four populations to
10974-432: The same race. The valid scientific names of each of the individual populations are not universally accepted, and some researchers still consider each subspecies to be distinct species. Prior to 2021, all subspecies were classified as distinct species from one another, but a 2021 study analyzing the level of divergence within the extinct West Indian Chelonoidis radiation and comparing it to the Galápagos radiation found that
11092-542: The search for an appropriate mate for Lonesome George , which had been penned with females from Isabela. Hope was bolstered by the discovery of a C. n. abingdonii hybrid male in the Volcán Wolf population on northern Isabela, raising the possibility that more undiscovered living Pinta descendants exist. Santa Cruz Island Mitochondrial DNA studies of tortoises on Santa Cruz show up to three genetically distinct lineages found in nonoverlapping population distributions around
11210-441: The shells of these slow-moving animals. Tortoises keep a characteristic scute (shell segment) pattern on their shells throughout life, though the annual growth bands are not useful for determining age because the outer layers are worn off with time. A tortoise can withdraw its head, neck, and fore limbs into its shell for protection. The legs are large and stumpy, with dry, scaly skin and hard scales . The front legs have five claws,
11328-553: The size is variable across the islands and subspecies; those from Pinzón Island are relatively small with a maximum known weight of 76 kg (168 lb) and carapace length of approximately 61 cm (24 in) compared to 75 to 150 cm (30 to 59 in) range in tortoises from Santa Cruz Island . The tortoises' gigantism was probably a trait useful on continents that was fortuitously helpful for successful colonisation of these remote oceanic islands rather than an example of evolved insular gigantism . Large tortoises would have
11446-640: The small, eastern Cerro Fatal population of the island was described as a distinct subspecies, C. n. donfaustoi , most closely related to chathamensis (and forming a clade with it plus abingdoni and hoodensis ), while the main southwestern porteri population was found to be closer to the Floreana and southern Isabela tortoises. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Vulnerable [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically Endangered At least one authority has suggested merging C. n. vicina with C. n. microphyes , C. n. vandenburghi and C. n. guentheri as
11564-494: The south and is therefore a separate subspecies. It is thought to be derived from a different colonization event than the others. A colonization from the island of Santiago apparently gave rise to the Volcan Wolf subspecies ( C. n. becki ) while the four southern populations are believed to be descended from a second colonization from the more southerly island of Santa Cruz. Tortoises from Santa Cruz are thought to have first colonized
11682-410: The southern Isabela tortoise ( C. n. vicina ), putting morphological differences down to geographic variation. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically Endangered [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Endangered At least one authority has suggested merging C. n. vicina with C. n. microphyes , C. n. vandenburghi and C. n. guentheri as
11800-528: The southern Isabela tortoise ( C. n. vicina ), putting morphological differences down to geographic variation. Conservation status [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Extinct Recent research found more than 80 tortoise hybrids between native Isabela tortoises and pure C. n. niger , indicating that there might be about 38 pure descendants of tortoises from Floreana, perhaps transported there by whalers. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically endangered , possibly extinct in
11918-489: The southern Isabela tortoise ( C. n. vicina ), putting morphological differences down to geographical variation. [REDACTED] Canary Islands The Canary Islands ( / k ə ˈ n ɛər i / , Spanish : Canarias , Spanish: [kaˈnaɾjas] ), also known informally as the Canaries , are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean . At their closest point to
12036-429: The southern island of Española, only 14 adult tortoises were found, two males and 12 females. The tortoises apparently were not encountering one another, so no reproduction was occurring. Between 1963 and 1974, all 14 adult tortoises discovered on the island were brought to the tortoise center on Santa Cruz and a tortoise breeding program was initiated. In 1977, a third Española male tortoise was returned to Galapagos from
12154-641: The subspecies C. n. vandenburghi (Alcedo) and C. n. microphyes (Darwin). The fifth population living on the southernmost volcano ( C. n. vicina ) is thought to have split off from the Sierra Negra population more recently and is therefore not as genetically different as the other two. Isabela is the most recently formed island tortoises inhabit, so its populations have had less time to evolve independently than populations on other islands, but according to some researchers, they are all genetically different and should each be considered as separate subspecies. Floreana Island Phylogenetic analysis may help to "resurrect"
12272-408: The subspecies native to Floreana, suggesting that C. niger has not gone entirely extinct. The existence of the C. n. phantastica subspecies of Fernandina Island was disputed, as it was described from a single specimen that may have been an artificial introduction to the island; however, a live female was found in 2019, likely confirming the subspecies' validity. Prior to widespread knowledge of
12390-424: The subspecies on the islands of San Cristóbal ( C. n. chathamensis ) and Española ( C. n. hoodensis ) which lie over 300 km (190 mi) away, rather than that on the neighbouring island of Isabela as previously assumed. This relationship is attributable to dispersal by the strong local current from San Cristóbal towards Pinta. This discovery informed further attempts to preserve the C. n. abingdonii lineage and
12508-460: The subspecies possibly are still extant. Genetic analysis from a sample of tortoises from Volcan Wolf found 84 first-generation C. n. niger hybrids, some less than 15 years old. The genetic diversity of these individuals is estimated to have required 38 C. n. niger parents, many of which could still be alive on Isabela Island. Pinta Island The Pinta Island subspecies ( C. n. abingdonii , now extinct) has been found to be most closely related to
12626-463: The summer of 2011, a series of low-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath El Hierro. These had a linear trend of northeast–southwest. In October a submarine eruption occurred about 2 km ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 mi) south of Restinga. This eruption produced gases and pumice, but no explosive activity was reported. The following table shows the highest mountains in each of the islands: The official natural symbols associated with Canary Islands are
12744-442: The then commonly used subspecies name of elephantopus ("elephant-footed" – Harlan , 1827). Quoy and Gaimard's Latin description explains the use of nigra: "Testudo toto corpore nigro" means "tortoise with completely black body". Quoy and Gairmard described nigra from a living specimen, but no evidence indicates they knew of its accurate provenance within the Galápagos – the locality was in fact given as California. Garman proposed
12862-527: The variation is caused by hybridization of native Isabela tortoises with about 40 descendants of tortoises from Floreana, a population thought to be extinct since the 1850s. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Endangered Fencing of nests and dog eradication in the 1970s helped in the population recovery. [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically Endangered [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically Endangered In 2015,
12980-431: The westernmost known land in the world. Ancient European geographers such as Ptolemy recognised the island as the prime meridian of longitude. That remained so until the 19th century, when it was displaced by the one passing through Greenwich . Fuerteventura, with a surface of 1,660 km (640 sq mi), is the second largest island of the archipelago. It has been declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO . It
13098-404: The wild [REDACTED] Conservation status [REDACTED] Critically Endangered In 2015, the small, eastern Cerro Fatal population of the island was described as a distinct subspecies, C. n. donfaustoi , most closely related to chathamensis (and forming a clade with it plus abingdoni and hoodensis ), while the main southwestern porteri population was found to be closer to
13216-473: Was finally discovered on Fernandina and transferred to a breeding center, and trace evidence found on the expedition indicates that more individuals likely exist in the wild. It has been theorized that the rarity of the subspecies may be due to the harsh habitat it survives in, such as the lava flows that are known to frequently cover the island. The extinct Santa Fe subspecies has not yet been described and thus has no binomial name , having been identified from
13334-536: Was formed by the Canary hotspot. The island is part of the Chinijo Archipelago and the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park (Parque Natural del Archipiélago Chinijo). It is administered by the municipality of Teguise. In 2018, La Graciosa was declared as the eighth Canary Island by the Spanish Senate , though it is not recognized as such by the Canarian administration. It is administratively dependent on
13452-402: Was it politically, since the particular interests of the nobility (determined to strengthen their economic and political power through the acquisition of the islands) conflicted with those of the states, particularly Castile, which were in the midst of territorial expansion and in a process of strengthening of the crown against the nobility. Historians distinguish two periods in the conquest of
13570-496: Was most closely related to C. n. hoodensis . A population of C. n. hoodensis has since been reintroduced to and established on the island to fill in the ecological role of the Santa Fe tortoise. Subspecies of doubtful existence The purported Rábida Island subspecies ( C. n. wallacei ) was described from a single specimen collected by the California Academy of Sciences in December 1905, which has since been lost. This individual
13688-598: Was ordered by decree that the capital of the Canary Islands would be shared between two cities, and this arrangement persists to the present day. The third largest city in the Canary Islands is San Cristóbal de La Laguna , another World Heritage Site on Tenerife. During the Age of Sail , the islands were the main stopover for Spanish galleons during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas , which sailed that far south in order to catch
13806-446: Was passed on via the female line. Social status and wealth were hereditary and determined the individual's position in the social pyramid, which consisted of the king, the relatives of the king, the lower nobility, villeins, plebeians, and finally executioners, butchers, embalmers, and prisoners". Their religion was animist , centring on the sun and moon, as well as natural features such as mountains. The islands may have been visited by
13924-417: Was probably an artificial introduction from another island that was originally penned on Rábida next to a good anchorage, as no contemporary whaling or sealing logs mention removing tortoises from this island. The tortoises have a large bony shell of a dull brown or grey color. The plates of the shell are fused with the ribs in a rigid protective structure that is integral to the skeleton. Lichens can grow on
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