Santiago Island giant tortoise

The Santiago Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis darwini)[1], also known as the James Island tortoise, is a species of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Santiago Island in the Galápagos.

Santiago Island giant tortoise
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Chelonoidis
Species:	C. darwini
Binomial name
Chelonoidis darwini (Van Denburgh, 1907)[2]
Synonyms
Testudo darwini Van Denburgh, 1907 Geochelone nigra darwini (Van Denburgh, 1907)

Population history

Large numbers of tortoises were removed from the island in the early 19th century by whaling vessels, and introduced goats reduced the coastal lowlands to deserts, restricting the remaining tortoises to the interior. The sex ratio is strongly imbalanced in favour of the males and most nests and young are destroyed by feral pigs. Some nests are now protected by lava corrals and since 1970, eggs have been transported to the Charles Darwin Research Station for hatching and rearing. Release programs and measures for nest protection from feral pigs have been successful.[3] There are approximately 1165 individuals in the wild, with an increasing population.[1]

Description

The gray to black carapace is intermediate in shape between the saddle-backed species and the domed species. It has only a shallow cervical indentation; the anterior carapacial rim is not appreciably upturned, and the posterior marginals are flared, slightly upturned, and slightly serrated.

Etymology

The species was named for Charles Darwin.

References

1. Cayot, L.J.; Gibbs, J.P.; Tapia, W.; Caccone, A. (2016). "Chelonoidis darwini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T9020A82689845. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
2. Van Denburgh, John (1907). "Preliminary descriptions of four new races of gigantic land tortoises from the Galapagos Islands". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 4th series. 1: 1–6.
3. Cayot 1994. Conservation biology of Galápagos reptiles: twenty-five years of successful research and management. In: J. B. Murphy, K. Adler, and J. T. Collins (eds.). Captive Management and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles, pp. 297–305. Ithaca, New York: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Contributions to Herpetology. vol. 11. ISBN 0-916984-33-8.

• Van Denburgh, 1907 : Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905–1906. I. Preliminary descriptions of four new races of gigantic land tortoises from the Galapagos Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 4, vol. 1, p. 1–6 (Full text).