The Environmental Benefits of the Galapagos Tortoise

The Galapagos giant tortoise is a relatively large animal, hence the word giant in its name. In fact, this reptile can be around 3000 kg. Large animals, such as this, are known to trample, dig, and stir up their habitats as they migrate throughout their environments. In fact, the Galapagos tortoise is sometimes referred to as an "environmental bulldozer" because as it walks along, it makes way a new path.

Not only is the Galapagos tortoise helpful in stirring up the land that it walks, but one of the biggest environmental benefits of the Galapagos tortoise is its scatter and dispersal of seeds. The Galapagos giant tortoise is a vegetarian, and one of its favorite foods is fruit. The Galapagos tortoise eats fruit whenever fruit is available, and the digestive tracts of the tortoises make it so that most of the fruits' seeds pass through the digestive tract unscathed. Therefore, as a Galapagos tortoise migrates, so does its wastes, which allows for these fruit seeds to be dispersed throughout the environment. The Galapagos tortoise is a reptile of many names because aside from being an "environmental bulldozer," the Galapagos tortoises are also referred to as "gardeners of the Galapagos."

Figure 1: A Galapagos giant tortoise eating vegetation.
Image from: Google Images

Because the Galapagos tortoise plays such crucial roles in the environment of the Galapagos, it is important for researchers to study how the migration patterns of these tortoises are changing, and also try to see how we can all work to conserve these tortoises and their environments.

Information from: http://www.gianttortoise.org/tortoise_site_oct_2013_004.htm