What is special about their size?

They are the largest living tortoises

Why do saddleback tortoises have raised shell fronts?

To reach higher plants on dry islands

What made the tortoise Diego famous?

Fathering hundreds of offspring in a breeding program

Galápagos Giant Tortoise Quiz: Saddlebacks and Lonesome George

This Galápagos giant tortoise quiz meets the slow giants of Ecuador's islands. Play 10 interactive questions on their size and lifespan, how islands got their name, dome-shaped and saddleback shells, why shells differ, Charles Darwin's visit, whalers who took tortoises for food, Lonesome George, Diego's breeding success and the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Start Galápagos Giant Tortoise Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Islands
Where do these giant tortoises live?
Size
What is special about their size?
Life
How long can they live?
Name
What does galápago refer to in old Spanish?
Saddle
Why do saddleback tortoises have raised shell fronts?
Dome
Where do dome-shelled tortoises usually live?
Darwin
Which naturalist noticed differences between island tortoises?
Whalers
Why did whalers take so many tortoises?
George
Who was Lonesome George?
Diego
What made the tortoise Diego famous?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where do these giant tortoises live?
Answer: The Galápagos Islands
They belong to Ecuador.
Q2: What is special about their size?
Answer: They are the largest living tortoises
Large males can weigh hundreds of kilograms.
Q3: How long can they live?
Answer: Over 100 years
Some are very old.
Q4: What does galápago refer to in old Spanish?
Answer: A tortoise or saddle
The islands were named after the tortoises.
Q5: Why do saddleback tortoises have raised shell fronts?
Answer: To reach higher plants on dry islands
Their necks can stretch up.
Q6: Where do dome-shelled tortoises usually live?
Answer: On wetter islands with low plants
Food grows near the ground.
Q7: Which naturalist noticed differences between island tortoises?
Answer: Charles Darwin
He visited in 1835.
Q8: Why did whalers take so many tortoises?
Answer: For fresh meat on long voyages
Tortoises survived months without food.
Q9: Who was Lonesome George?
Answer: The last known Pinta Island tortoise
He died in 2012.
Q10: What made the tortoise Diego famous?
Answer: Fathering hundreds of offspring in a breeding program
He helped save the Española species.

Saddlebacks, Domes and the Islands Named for Tortoises

Galápagos giant tortoises are the largest living tortoises, with big males weighing hundreds of kilograms, and they can live over 100 years. The islands were named after them, since galápago in old Spanish referred to a tortoise or saddle, describing their shells.

Tortoises on wetter islands with low plants usually have dome-shaped shells. On dry islands, saddleback tortoises have shells raised at the front, letting them stretch their necks to reach higher plants like cactus pads. Charles Darwin noticed such differences between islands during his 1835 visit.

Whalers and sailors took huge numbers for fresh meat, since tortoises could survive months without food in ships' holds. Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, died in 2012. Diego, a tortoise in a breeding program, fathered hundreds of offspring that helped save the Española species before returning home in 2020.

What This Quiz Teaches

Animal fans will enjoy these questions.

How big they grow
Why shells differ
How the islands got their name
Which threats they faced
Which tortoises became famous

Did You Know?

Tortoises can go long periods without drinking.
Young tortoises are raised at breeding centers.
Introduced goats once destroyed their food.
They often rest in mud pools to cool off.
The Charles Darwin Research Station is on Santa Cruz Island.