The Galapagos tortoise or Galapagos giant tortoise ( Cheloпoidis пiger ) is a very large species of tortoise in the genus Cheloпoidis (which also includes three smaller species from mainland South America). It is made up of 15 subspecies (13 extinct and 2 extinct). It is the largest living tortoise species, with some modern Galapagos tortoises weighing up to 417 kg (919 lb). With a life expectancy in the wild of more than 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. Captive Galapagos tortoises can live up to 177 years. For example, one captive, Harriet, lived to be at least 175 years old. Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them from the Spanish Galápago , meaning “turtle.”
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