Elevantkilpkonn, Chelonoidis niger porteri

Galápagose saarestik on ka selles mõttes iseäralik, et seda domineerivad roomajad, vastupidiselt siis muule maailmale, mis on imetajate kontrolli all. Saartel elab vaid 3 kohalikku imetajaliiki (kaks nahkhiire liiki ja üks rotiliik), kuid seal on suur hulk erinevaid sisalikke, iguaaane, madusid ning gekosid. Ja elevantkilpkonni - neid on tervelt 11 eri liiki. Päris tihti on liigi eritunnuseks kilbi kuju, sest erinevatel saartel hakkama saamiseks oli vaja kohastuda - kui söök asus kõrgemal puu otsas, kaardus kilbi esiots ajapikku ülespoole ning kilpkonn ulatus seetõttu ka okste ja lehtedeni. Pildil on elevantkilpkonna alamliik porteri, keda võib kohata Santa Cruzi saare lääneosas ning sealsel kaitsealal on ka see foto tehtud.

The Galápagos archipelago is also remarkable in the sense that it is dominated by reptiles, in contrast to the rest of the world, which is under the control of mammals. There are only three native mammal species on the islands (two bat species and one rat species), but there is a large variety of different lizards, iguanas, snakes, and geckos. And giant tortoises - there are a total of 11 different species. Often, a distinctive feature is the shape of their shells, as adaptation was necessary to survive on different islands - if food was higher up in the trees, the front of the shell gradually arched upwards, allowing the tortoise to reach branches and leaves. Here you can see Western Santa Cruz tortoise which obviously can be found in the western part of Santa Cruz Island, and the photo was taken in the local conservation area.