Chelonoidis niger vicina, commonly known as the Cerro Azul giant tortoise, Iguana Cove tortoise or the Isabela Island giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Isabela Island in the Galápagos.[1]
| Cerro Azul giant tortoise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chelonoidis vicina at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Family: | Testudinidae |
| Genus: | Chelonoidis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. n. vicina |
| Trinomial name | |
| Chelonoidis niger vicina (Günther, 1875) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Population history
editThis population was depleted by seamen in the last 200 years and by extensive slaughter in the late 1950s and 1960s by employees of cattle companies based at Iguana Cove. Their population is thought to overlap with Chelonoidis niger guentheri.
A 2023 population study conducted by the Galápagos Conservancy estimated the subspecies' population to be around 5275 individuals.[3] This would make it the third most populous subspecies., behind C.vandenburghi and C.chathamensis.
Description
editIt has a thick, heavy shell intermediate between saddle-backed and domed, and not appreciably narrowed anteriorly. Males are larger and more saddle-backed; females are more domed. Until eradication programs, virtually all nests and hatchlings were destroyed by black rats, pigs, dogs, and cats.[4]
References
edit- 1 2 Cayot, L.J.; Gibbs, J.P.; Tapia, W.; Caccone, A. (2018). "Chelonoidis vicina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T9028A144765855. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T9028A144765855.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ↑ "Landmark Census of Giant Tortoises in Southern Isabela". Galápagos Conservancy. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
- ↑ MacFarland 1974a. The galapagos giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus). I. Status of the surviving populations. Biological Conservation. 6(2):118–133
Further reading
edit- Günther, 1875 : Descriptions of the living and extinct races of gigantic land–tortoises. Parts I and II. Introduction, and the tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 165, p. 251–284.
 | This article about a turtle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |