Keywords
Giant tortoises
Galapagos islands
How to Cite
Societal impact
Abstract
Geochelone ephippium is one of fourteen giant tortoise species described from the Galápagos Archipelago and the only one that inhabits Pinzón island. This island is characterized by its low extension, low elevation and xeric climate. The population of Pinzón giant tortoises has been menaced by the introduction of rats, For this reason, the National Park Service of Galápagos has developed a captive rearing program in order to stabilize the population. The Conservation program consists of retaining juvenile tortoises in captivity until five years of age, time in which predation by rats and starvation are minimized. For twenty years, results from growth collection data in know age tortoises shows that this species reaches sexual maturity between twelve and fifteen years of age. Also, it has been established that the continuos growth in males after reaching sexual maturity is the cause of the difference in size between sexes.
References
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