Biology:Chelonoidis niger

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Short description: Species of giant tortoise

Chelonoidis niger
Galapagos Turtle skeleton.jpg
Chelonoidis niger skeleton at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Chelonoidis
Species:
C. niger
Binomial name
Chelonoidis niger
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Synonyms
  • Testudo nigra Quoy & Gaimard, 1824
  • Testudo elephantopus Harlan, 1826
  • Testudo californica Gray, 1831
  • Testudo planiceps Gray, 1854
  • Testudo galapagoensis Baur, 1889
  • Testudo elephantopus elephantopus Mertens & Wermuth, 1955
  • Testudo elephantopus galapagoensis Wermuth & Mertens, 1955
  • Geochelone elephantopus elephantopus Pritchard, 1967
  • Chelonoidis elephantopus elephantopus Obst, 1985
  • Geochelone elephantopus Ernst & Barbour, 1989
  • Geochelone nigra King & Burke, 1989
  • Chelonoidis nigra David, 1994
  • Chelonoidis nigra galapagoensis David, 1994
  • Chelonoidis niger Olson & David, 2014

Chelonoidis niger, also known as the Floreana giant tortoise or Charles Island giant tortoise, is an extinct species of giant tortoise endemic to the Galápagos archipelago in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet niger (‘black’) probably refers to the colouration of the holotype specimen.[2]

Taxonomy

This tortoise is a member of the Chelonoidis niger species complex, comprising all Galápagos tortoise taxa, of which it is the nominate form.[3]

Description

Male tortoises grew to about 138 cm and females to 88 cm in length, with strongly saddlebacked carapaces.[2]

Behaviour

The tortoises used to descend to the lower slopes of their volcanic island to graze on new vegetation after wet season rains. They fed on grass, bitterbush and cacti, obtaining water from springs and from cracks in the lava rocks.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The tortoise's natural range was limited to 173 km2 Floreana Island (formerly Charles Island) where it inhabited deciduous and evergreen forests.[2]

Conservation

The tortoise population of Floreana is estimated to have originally comprised some 8,000 individuals. Extinction occurred during the 1840s or 1850s following overexploitation for food by sailors and settlers, as well as predation and habitat degradation from introduced species, including goats, pigs, dogs, cats, donkeys, and rodents. However, several hybrids between this species and Chelonoidis becki were discovered around Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, apparently from some of the Floreana tortoises being transported there in the early 19th century, and there is an ongoing breeding program which is attempting to bring back the Floreana species with de-extinction.[2]

References

  1. van Dijk, P.P., Rhodin, A.G.J., Cayot, L.J. & Caccone, A. (2017). "Floreana Giant Tortoise". IUCN. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9023/3149101. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Arteaga, A; Bustamante, L; Vieira, J; Guayasamin, JM (2020). Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Quito: Universidad Tecnológica Indoamereica. https://www.tropicalherping.com/science/books/reptiles/reptiles_of_ecuador.html. 
  3. "Chelonoidis niger (QUOY & GAIMARD, 1824)". Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Chelonoidis&species=niger. 

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