Breeding primarily occurs during the hot season (January to May), although mating may be seen at any time of year. The birds and tortoises have formed a symbiotic relationship in which the birds peck the ticks out from the folds of the tortoises’ skin.
Small birds, such as Galapagos finches, can often be seen sitting on the backs of giant tortoises. They enjoy bathing in water, but can survive for up to a year without water or food. The rest of their time is spent eating grasses, fruits and cactus pads. The Galapagos giant tortoise spends an average of 16 hours per day resting. They tend to live on arid islands in Galapagos, where food is less abundant. Saddle-backed tortoises have an upward curve to the front of their carapace, which allows them to stretch up to reach higher growing plants. They tend to live on large, humid islands where there is lots of vegetation to eat. Dome-shelled tortoises lack an upward angle to the front of their carapace (shell), restricting the extent to which they can raise their heads. Giant tortoises show large variation in size and shape but all species can be classed into two main shell types: domed and saddle-backed. After the death of Lonesome George in 2012, the last Pinta island tortoise, twelve living species are thought to remain in Galapagos across ten islands. The giant tortoise arrived in Galapagos from mainland South America 2-3 million years ago, where they underwent diversification into 14 species, differing in their morphology and distribution. The Galapagos giant tortoise is one of the most famous animals of the Islands, with the Archipelago itself being named after them ( Galapágo is an old Spanish word for tortoise).
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