Giant Land Tortoise
During our second visit to Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, we had the chance to see Giant Land Tortoises in the wild on Rancho Primicias.
These guys can weigh over 800 pounds each, and live over 100 years.
It was estimated that there were once 250,000 on the islands, but due to hunting by man, those numbers have declined drastically.
Breeding programs are in full effect to help save these amazing creatures, and they now number about 19,000 (Wikipedia).
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:
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Henry Williams
Monday 3rd of October 2011
lol wow that picture is kinda scary that thing is huge