Sixty years sitting in a drawer (no, the photo not the tortoise) - share your old photos now
The Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis niger), also called the Galápagos giant tortoise, is a very large species of tortoise in the genus Chelonoidis. It is the largest living species of tortoise, and can weigh more than 400 kg.
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".