Talk:Galápagos tortoise
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[edit] Blurb for Did you Know
Did You Know
...that galapagos tortoise is the largest living tortoise, weighing over 500 pounds and measuring 6 feet from head to tail. One of the oldest living creatures, they are native to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Educador in South America, where there are only 15,000 known to survive.
For the benefit of those of us who are not zoologists, can someone add to the article a picture of a tortoise with a saddle-back shell? I'm not even sure what that means.
I think it would be more correct to call the 'shell' a Carapace - the article on carapace has a useful diagram of a Tortoise's 'shell'.
[edit] Se habla galápagos?
Who came up with the idea that galapagos comes from the spanish for tortoise?
The spanish name for tortoise is "tortuga".
69.230.90.199 19:37, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
The reference is at least as old as the 1911 Encylcopedia Brittanica. http://57.1911encyclopedia.org/G/GA/GALAPAGOS.htm. It supposedly came from the word "galapago". The 16th century mapmakers called them "Insulae de los Galopegos" Could this be Latin? Vaoverland 21:00, Apr 12, 2005 (UTC)
The word "galápago" refers to a style of Spanish saddle (the kind for riding horses). The early Spaniards thought that the shape of some of the tortoise species's shells looked like the "galápago" saddle, and so called them "galápagos," and named the islands for them. Galapagos tortoises are still frequently called "galápagos" by Spanish-speakers in the islands.
--DWiedenfeld 01:12, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Photo of Harriet
Isn't 620 KB a ridiculous size for the photo? I downloaded it and simply opened/resaved it with mspaint and it went down to 148 KB, and there appears to be no loss in quality. I also took a photo of Harriet when I went to the Australia Zoo in 2003, here's a scan of it (film SLR..), I could easily rescan it to be bigger and upload it as well, some comment on that would be good http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5632/harriet8ft.jpg
The Hobo 18:45, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
I prefer your photo, since it gives a frontal view. However, it lacks a sense of scale.Minglex 21:22, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Fritts 2001
Please provide an external link or citation to your claims.
[edit] Here are two:
ERNST, C., AND R. BARBOUR. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
CARRILLO, E., S. ALDAS, M. ALTAMIRANO, F. AYALA, D. CISNEROS, A. ENDARA, C. MÁRQUEZ, M. MORALES, F. NOGALES, P. SALVADOR, M. DE L. TORRES, J. VALENCIA, F. VILLAMARÍA, M. YÁNEZ, AND P. ZÁRATE. 2005. Lista Roja de los Reptiles del Ecuador. Fundación Novum Milenium, UICN-Sur, UICN-Comité Ecuatoriano, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Quito, Ecuador.
Although Geochelone taxonomy is not settled, most current systematists working on Galapagos tortoises are using separate species. I previously used the citation of Fritts 2001 (FRITTS, T.H. 2001. A brief review of the taxonomic history of Galápagos tortoises relevant to consideration of the most appropriate generic and specific names for giant tortoises in Galapagos. Unpublished report to Galapagos National Park, Galapagos, Ecuador) although it is unpublished, because it lays out the rationale for using species rather than subspecies. I will change the names back to species.
--DWiedenfeld 01:07, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Removing references to reglion in discovery section.
I am remoivng all reference to reglion in the original. I would have let it go if someone didn't decide to cap THEORY in the agruement. REgardless of reglion, and I am a Cathloic, stuff like that is strictly against Wikipedia guidelines, regardless of your views. I appreciate that it not be changed.
On second thought, I am removing the Discovery section completely because it is clear that Darwin did not discover the turtle, rather the spainish. I will research this but for now, it is gone.
Please respect NPOV.--Kirkoconnell 03:31, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
Couldn't agree more. That pointless edit wasn't even well written. Minglex 22:02, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
I agree too! Good that it has been removed. Pmaas 13:43, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] merger proposal
oppose....bad idea to merge ....species from different continents are distinct....research underway to enhance wikipedia data on madagascar giant tortoises...may have text by mid june 2006. Anlace 02:21, 16 April 2006 (UTC)
oppose Galapogas tortises are relative newcomers on the scene. --Knife Knut 13:02, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Species
Although the systematics of reptiles (including Galapagos tortoises) is not settled, you need to show evidence if you want to change the scientific names back to subspecies. I have posted two references above. If you can show better ones, post them. Ernst and Barbour is a widely-used standard, and the Carrillo et al. reference (sorry if you don't read Spanish) is a very recent reference, published by IUCN.
DWiedenfeld 21:47, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Harriet
Adwaita has an article, why not Harriet? -24.92.41.95 02:57, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] sounds
It would be nice if there were sound files of the roaring mentioned.
I just finished and Animal Diversity course at Moorpark College in California. We were taught that the giant Galapagos tortoise's scientific name was Geochelone elephantopus. Where did this Geochelone nigra come from?
