Is Exotic Diet Giving Giant Tortoises a Boost in Galapagos?
Some of the rare reptiles are chowing down on plants brought accidentally to the islands—and may be healthier as a result, a new study says.
Some Galápagos giant tortoises are developing a taste for exotic cuisine—invasive plants that people have unwittingly brought to the volcanic islands off Ecuador, a new study says.
While invasive species are usually not good news, the discovery may be a boost for an aptly named subspecies called the indefatigable island tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri), which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Fewer than 20,000 giant tortoises across 11 subspecies are thought to remain on the islands, having withstood centuries of hunting and habitat destruction from introduced animals such as pigs and goats. (Also see "Lonesome George, Last of His Kind, Dies in Galápagos.")
Though the giant tortoise is one of the most well known
