Misplaced Pages

Santiago Island giant tortoise Temporal range: Miocene - Recent
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Chelonoidis
Species:	C. niger
Subspecies:	C. n. darwini
Trinomial name
Chelonoidis niger darwini (Van Denburgh, 1907)
Synonyms
Testudo darwini Van Denburgh, 1907 Testudo elephantopus darwini — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Geochelone elephantopus darwini — Pritchard, 1967 Geochelone nigra darwini — Iverson, 1992 Chelonoidis nigra darwini — David, 1994 Geochelone darwini — Cisneros-Heredia, 2006 Chelonoidis darwini — Rhodin et al., 2010

The Santiago Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger darwini), also known commonly as the Santiago giant tortoise and the James Island tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The subspecies is endemic to Santiago Island (also known as James Island and San Salvador) in the Galápagos.

Population history

Large numbers of C. n. darwini were removed from Santiago 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. There are approximately 1,165 individuals in the wild, with an increasing population.

Habitat

The C. n. darwini are diurnal and terrestrial. Their habitats include deciduous forests, evergreen montane forests, and humid grass land. At maturity they reside in the highlands of Santiago Island in the Galapagos. However, in the first 10-15 years of their lives the remain in they lowlands of the island.

Description

The gray to black carapace of C. n. darwini is intermediate in shape between the saddle-backed subspecies and the domed subspecies of Galápagos tortoises. 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.

Diet

The diet of the C. n. darwini consists of cacti, herbs, and grass found on Santiago Island. The water in their diet is obtained by the vegetation they consume or by temporary pools.

Etymology

The specific name, darwini, is in honor of English naturalist Charles Darwin.

References

1. "Fossilworks: Periplaneta".
2. "Fossilworks: Chelonoidis".
3. ^ Cayot, L.J.; Gibbs, J.P.; Tapia, W.; Caccone, A. (2016). "Chelonoidis darwini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T9020A82689845. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T9020A82689845.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
4. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
5. 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. Fourth Series. 1: 1–6. (Testudo darwini, new species).
6. ^ Species Chelonoidis darwini at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
7. Cayot LJ (1994). "Conservation biology of Galápagos reptiles: twenty-five years of successful research and management". pp. 297–305. In: Murphy JB, Adler K, Collins JT (editors). Captive Management and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles. Ithaca, New York: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Contributions to Herpetology. Vol. 11. ISBN 0-916984-33-8.
8. ^ Arteaga, Alejandro; Guayasamin, Juan M (29 April 2024). "Santiago Giant-Tortoise". Reptiles of Ecuador.

External links

• Van Denburgh J (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, Fourth Series 1: 1–6. (Testudo darwini, new subspecies). (Full text).

v t e Tortoise family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidae
Genera	Species of the tortoise family
Agrionemys	Russian tortoise
Aldabrachelys	Aldabra giant tortoise (subspecies: A. g. arnoldi †A. g. daudinii A. g. hololissa) †Aldabrachelys abrupta †Aldabrachelys grandidieri
Astrochelys	Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise †Astrochelys rogerbouri
Centrochelys	African spurred tortoise †Centrochelys atlantica †Centrochelys burchardi †Centrochelys vulcanica
Chelonoidis	Chaco tortoise Red-footed tortoise Yellow-footed tortoise †Chelonoidis alburyorum †Chelonoidis cubensis †Chelonoidis lutzae †Chelonoidis monensis †Chelonoidis sellovii †Chelonoidis sombrerensis
Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis complex	Cerro Azul giant tortoise Chatham Island giant tortoise Eastern Santa Cruz tortoise Fernandina Island tortoise †Floreana Island tortoise Hood Island giant tortoise (Diego) Santa Fe Island tortoise †Pinta Island tortoise †(Lonesome George) Santiago Island giant tortoise Pinzón Island giant tortoise Sierra Negra giant tortoise Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise Volcán Darwin giant tortoise Volcán Wolf giant tortoise Western Santa Cruz tortoise
†Cheirogaster	†Cheirogaster bacharidisi †Cheirogaster gymnesica †Cheirogaster schafferi
Chersina	Angulate tortoise
Chersobius	Nama padloper Karoo padloper Speckled padloper
†Cylindraspis	†Domed Mauritius giant tortoise †Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise †Réunion giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
Geochelone	Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise
Gopherus	Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Goode's thornscrub tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise
†Hadrianus	†Hadrianus corsoni †Hadrianus majusculus †Hadrianus octonaria †Hadrianus robustus †Hadrianus schucherti †Hadrianus utahensis †Hadrianus vialovi
†Hesperotestudo	†Hesperotestudo percrassa
Homopus	Common padloper Greater padloper
Indotestudo	Elongated tortoise Forsten's tortoise Travancore tortoise
Kinixys	Bell's hinge-back tortoise Forest hinge-back tortoise Home's hinge-back tortoise Lobatse hinge-back tortoise Natal hinge-back tortoise Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Malacochersus	Pancake tortoise
Manouria	Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise
†Megalochelys	†Megalochelys atlas †Megalochelys cautleyi †Megalochelys margae †Megalochelys sondaari
Psammobates	Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise
Pyxis	Flat-backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise
Stigmochelys	Leopard tortoise
†Stylemys	†Stylemys botti †Stylemys calaverensis †Stylemys canetotiana †Stylemys capax †Stylemys conspecta †Stylemys copei †Stylemys emiliae †Stylemys frizaciana †Stylemys karakolensis †Stylemys nebrascensis †Stylemys neglectus †Stylemys oregonensis †Stylemys pygmea †Stylemys uintensis †Stylemys undabuna
Testudo	Hermann's tortoise Kleinmann's tortoise Marginated tortoise Spur-thighed tortoise †Testudo brevitesta
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

This article about a turtle is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• IUCN Red List critically endangered species
• Chelonoidis
• Subspecies
• Taxa named by John Van Denburgh
• Endemic reptiles of the Galápagos Islands
• Reptiles described in 1907
• Turtle stubs