Scribd
Upload
74 views2 pages

Galapagos Tortoise: Fast Facts

The Galapagos tortoise is a large reptile that is only found on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. They can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh 500 pounds. Despite having strong jaws, they do not have teeth and eat only plants. The tortoise's hollow shell protects its body, and it can pull its head and legs inside when threatened. Females lay eggs and then leave, leaving the young tortoises to survive on their own against predators. Galapagos tortoises have an extremely long lifespan of over 100 years.

Uploaded by

YolandaOrduña
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
74 views2 pages

Galapagos Tortoise: Fast Facts

The Galapagos tortoise is a large reptile that is only found on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. They can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh 500 pounds. Despite having strong jaws, they do not have teeth and eat only plants. The tortoise's hollow shell protects its body, and it can pull its head and legs inside when threatened. Females lay eggs and then leave, leaving the young tortoises to survive on their own against predators. Galapagos tortoises have an extremely long lifespan of over 100 years.

Uploaded by

YolandaOrduña
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Galapagos tortoise

The Galápagos tortoise is the largest type of

tortoise, and they can only be found on a group Fast Facts


of islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Type: Reptile
Ocean, called the Galápagos Islands. Size: 5 feet long

Weight: 500 pounds


These animals have incredibly strong jaws, but
Life span: 100 years
don’t have any teeth. They don’t really need
Habitat: Lowlands
them though, because they only eat plants such
Population: 20,000
as grass and fruit.
Diet: Herbivore

Tortoises have a protective shell around their

body. The shell is not solid, and it is hollow, so it is light enough for the tortoise to be able

to carry it. When they feel threatened, tortoises pull their head and legs inside their shell.

The females lay eggs in an underground nest; then the mother leaves, never to return. The

young tortoises are therefore left on their own.

Only a few of the young survive their first

years. Many of them are eaten by

predators such as hawks and pigs.

Galápagos tortoises can live for

long, some can even get over a

hundred years. It is believed that

the tortoise that lived the longest

was 182 years old when it died!


Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?

1) Galápagos tortoises can be ( ) 6) When they feel threatened, they ( )


found in Ecuador. put their head inside a hole in the
ground.
2) The Galápagos tortoise is the ( )
largest type of tortoise. 7) Galápagos tortoises do not have ( )
natural enemies.
3) Galápagos tortoises have strong ( )
jaws and sharp teeth. 8) Female tortoises don’t take ( )
care of their young.
4) Galápagos tortoises are ( )
herbivores. 9) Galápagos tortoises can become ( )
over a hundred years old.
5) The shell of the Galápagos ( )
tortoise is hollow.

Several words from the passage have been chopped into pieces. Find the pieces
that fit together.

HER TOR LOW BIV GOS

HOL ÁPA SE ORE

GAL ECUA TOI DOR

1) ___________________

2) ___________________

3) ___________________

4) ___________________

5) ___________________

You might also like