The Galápagos tortoise is the largest living species of
tortoise and
10th-heaviest living reptile. With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived
vertebrates. The tortoise is native to seven of the
Galápagos Islands, a volcanic
archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the
Ecuadorian mainland. Shell size and shape vary between populations; these differences
helped Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. Tortoise numbers declined from over 250,000 in the 16th century to a low of around 3,000 in the 1970s. The decline was caused by
hunting for tortoise meat and oil,
habitat clearance for agriculture, and introduction of non-native animals such as rats, goats, and pigs. Ten
subspecies of the original fifteen survive in the wild. An eleventh subspecies has only a single known living individual, in captivity, nicknamed
Lonesome George. Conservation efforts beginning in the 20th century have resulted in thousands of
captive-bred juveniles being released onto their home islands, and it is estimated that numbers exceeded 19,000 at the start of the 21st century. Despite this rebound, the species as a whole is classified as "Vulnerable" by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (
more...)
... that Shakespeare scholars used Ford's Hospital, Coventry(pictured) to understand Elizabethan doorways while planning the reconstruction of the
Globe Theatre?
1956 – The use of 2-inch quadruplex(example pictured), the first practical and commercially successful
videotape format, was first demonstrated in public.
The Metallic Ringtail(Austrolestes cingulatus) is an Australian species of
damselfly, so named because of its glossy metallic colouration and the "rings" on each
abdominal segment. It is widely distributed in Tasmania, Victoria, eastern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland.
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
3,921,274 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
The Galápagos tortoise is the largest living species of
tortoise and
10th-heaviest living reptile. With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived
vertebrates. The tortoise is native to seven of the
Galápagos Islands, a volcanic
archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the
Ecuadorian mainland. Shell size and shape vary between populations; these differences
helped Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. Tortoise numbers declined from over 250,000 in the 16th century to a low of around 3,000 in the 1970s. The decline was caused by
hunting for tortoise meat and oil,
habitat clearance for agriculture, and introduction of non-native animals such as rats, goats, and pigs. Ten
subspecies of the original fifteen survive in the wild. An eleventh subspecies has only a single known living individual, in captivity, nicknamed
Lonesome George. Conservation efforts beginning in the 20th century have resulted in thousands of
captive-bred juveniles being released onto their home islands, and it is estimated that numbers exceeded 19,000 at the start of the 21st century. Despite this rebound, the species as a whole is classified as "Vulnerable" by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (
more...)
... that Shakespeare scholars used Ford's Hospital, Coventry(pictured) to understand Elizabethan doorways while planning the reconstruction of the
Globe Theatre?
1956 – The use of 2-inch quadruplex(example pictured), the first practical and commercially successful
videotape format, was first demonstrated in public.
The Metallic Ringtail(Austrolestes cingulatus) is an Australian species of
damselfly, so named because of its glossy metallic colouration and the "rings" on each
abdominal segment. It is widely distributed in Tasmania, Victoria, eastern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland.
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
3,921,274 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.