![]() ![]() ![]() The largest of them all was Megalochelys atlas from the Siwaliks Hills in northern India and Pakistan (Falconer & Cautley, 1844), which grew to the size of a small car. Although their enormous size has been interpreted as an adaptation to island life, fossil remains of giant tortoises found across the Americas, Eurasia and Africa show that large size was present in continental tortoises as well. Together with the Aldabra giant tortoise ( Aldabrachelys gigantean) from the Aldabra atoll (part of the Seychelles) in the Indian Ocean, the Galápagos giant tortoises are the only remaining representatives of the giant tortoises that were once widespread across the globe. Eventually, his wonder forever changed our understanding of the natural world. This was already known by the natives, who could distinguish the tortoises from different islands, but Darwin was struck with wonder (he even brought some tortoises back to Europe as pets). After visiting other islands in the archipelago, he came to realize that each island had its own, but slightly different giant tortoise. On a hot September day in 1835, Charles Darwin met his first giant tortoise on Chatham Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago. The few dull-coloured birds cared no more for me, than they did for the great tortoises.” These huge reptiles, surrounded by the black lava, the leafless shrubs, and large cacti, seemed to my fancy like some antediluvian animals. “As I was walking along I met two large tortoises, each of which must have weighed at least two hundred pounds: one was eating a piece of cactus, and as I approached, it stared at me and slowly stalked away the other gave a deep hiss, and drew in its head. ![]()
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