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Galapagos Giant Tortoise

The Galapagos giant tortoise is endemic to the Galapagos Islands and is one of the most well-known animals living in the Galapagos. The islands are named for the tortoises as galapágo is an old Spanish word for tortoise. The giant tortoises evolved into 14 species, adapting to their surroundings and the island they lived on. After Lonesome George, the last living Pinta Island tortoise, died in 2012, there are 12 living species of tortoises on 10 islands. Galapagos tortoises spend about 16 hours a day bathing, and spend the rest of their time eating fruits and grasses. There are two main types of tortoises: Dome-shelled and saddle-backed. Dome-shelled tortoises cannot lift their head much because of their shell, but saddle-backed tortoises can due to the curved and upward angle of their shell. Dome-shelled tortoises live on humid islands where there is much vegetation, and saddle-backed tortoises live on arid islands, where food is less common. Galapagos tortoises can live for between 100 and 170 years, an astonishing amount of time.

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