Chelonoidis niger duncanensis, commonly known as the Pinzón Island giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Pinzón Island in the Galápagos.[1]
| Pinzón Island giant tortoise | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Testudinidae |
| Genus: | Chelonoidis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. n. duncanensis
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| Trinomial name | |
| Chelonoidis niger duncanensis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Population history
editAlthough relatively undisturbed by whalers, fairly large numbers of tortoises were removed by expeditions in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th. After the introduction of black rats (Rattus rattus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus)[4] some time before 1900, no natural breeding succeeded. Since 1965, eggs have been transported to the Charles Darwin Research Station for hatching and rearing. Over 75% of those released between 1970 and 1990 survived.[5] There are currently around 532 known individuals, which live in the southwestern side of Pinzón Island.
Description
editThis saddle-backed species is one of the smallest of the Galápagos tortoises. Its brownish-gray, oblong carapace has only a very shallow cervical indentation, the anterior marginals little to much upturned, and the slightly serrated posterior marginals flared and upturned. The carapace is usually compressed or narrowed anteriorly.
References
edit- ^ a b Cayot, L.J.; Gibbs, J.P.; Tapia, W.; Caccone, A. (2017). "Chelonoidis duncanensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T9021A3149054. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T9021A3149054.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Garman 1917. The Galapagos tortoises. Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College., vol. XXX, no. 4
- ^ Rat eradication program begins in Galapagos Islands. Scientific American. (Accessed 2012-01-14.)
- ^ Cayot 1994. Conservation biology of Galápagos reptiles: twenty-five years of successful research and management. In: J. B. Murphy, K. Adler, and J. T. Collins (eds.). Captive Management and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles, pp. 297–305. Ithaca, New York: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Contributions to Herpetology. vol. 11. ISBN 0-916984-33-8.
- Pritchard, 1996 : The Galápagos Tortoises: Nomenclatural and Survival Status. Chelonian Research Monographs, No. 1, p. 50.
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