17ĭonate Reader support helps us keep the Reptiles of Ecuador book 100% free.Ĭonservation: Critically Endangered. 14, 16 Individuals of Chelonoidis porteri may live up to 175 years old. Both the eggs and the neonates are preyed upon by feral pigs, rats, and fire ants. 14 The hatchlings are preyed upon by owls 15 and they were heavily preyed upon by hawks in the past, 9 but farmers have now displaced the hawks from Santa Cruz Island. 9 They feed on fallen cactus pads and dry grass. 13 The hatchlings disperse up to 600 m away during their first two years of life and become sedentary in <400 m 2 areas. Females lay 3–21 (but usually 7–21) eggs 11, 12 that take 110–250 days to hatch. In May, females descend into the drier lowlands at 6–149 m in elevation to dig 20–33 cm deep 1, 9, 10 nests. 1 When mating, the tortoises produce resounding guttural sounds. 9Ĭourtship in the Santa Cruz Giant-Tortoise takes place from February to March. They appear to compete and fight over suitable nesting areas by rearing up and hissing with open mouths. 1, 3 Females also fight with each other during the nesting season. 7 Male Chelonoidis porteri fight each other using a combination of biting, rearing up, hissing with open mouths, and shell-bumping. 7, 8 Some (18.2%) are nomadic, moving apparent to a random walk, instead of from one area to another and back. 3 The majority (77.3%) of adult tortoises are migratory, 7 traveling up to 10 km from inland to coastal areas to exploit new vegetation after the rains. 1 They can spend up to two days resting while regulating their body temperature in a water hole, 3 especially during the dry season. 6Īt night, Santa Cruz Giant-Tortoises sleep in areas partly secluded by vegetation or rocks. 2– 5 With increasing frequency, Santa Cruz Giant-Tortoises are including a greater proportion of fruits from invasive plants (passion fruit, blackberry, and guava) in their diet. Their diet largely consists of native and introduced vegetation, such as grasses, herbs, forbs, sedges, leaves of trees, shrubs, cacti, vines, moss, lichen, flowers, and fruits (including those from the strongly irritant manzanillo), but also includes carrion. They rest in water holes, 1 sleep in areas of tall grass, 1 or actively move in search of food. porteri are most active from 8:00 to 17:30. Chelonoidis porteri is a diurnal and terrestrial tortoise that inhabits evergreen forests, deciduous forests, farmlands, and areas of introduced vegetation. It is the only species of giant tortoise known to naturally occur in the west of Santa Cruz Island. Chelonoidis porteri is a giant tortoise having a strongly domed carapace. Spanish common names: Galápago de Santa Cruz, tortuga gigante del oeste de Santa Cruz.

Reptiles of Ecuador | Testudines | Testudinidae | Chelonoidis porteriĮnglish common names: Santa Cruz Giant-Tortoise, Western Santa Cruz Giant-Tortoise, Indefatigable Island Giant-Tortoise.

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