The largest living species of tortoise, the Galápagos tortoise can weigh up to 417kg. They are found in two isolated populations, the Galápagos Islands off of Ecuador and the island of Aldabra near the Seychelles. One of the longest living vertebrates, one individual had a lifespan of 170 years. In the Galápagos, 15 distinct subspecies were found by Charles Darwin (4 of which are now extinct). Originating from a common ancestor, their adaption to the individual island they resided on include the size and shape of their carapaces, shells and neck. This led to Darwin developing his Theory of Natural Selection.

Following discovery, they were quickly utilized by sailors as a source of fresh meat, their populations crashing from about 25000 to 3000. Since then, conservation efforts have recovered the population to about 19000, though they are still listed as vulnerable.
San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, San Diego, California

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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D7000
Exposure:	0.001 sec (1/1250)
Aperture:	f/9.0
ISO Speed:	400
Focal Length:	92 mm
Lens:	55.0-200.0 mm f/4.0-5.6