At the Australian Reptile Park , I had been privileged to care for two resident Galapagos tortoises ; ‘ Hugo ’ and ‘ Dippy ’. Working closely with these remarkable reptiles had taught me just how regal and charismatic they are , and to see them in the wild was definitely on my bucket list . That day finally arrived when we set out for the highlands of the island of Santa Cruz in a small , rickety mini bus in search of wild tortoises . It wasn ’ t long before our driver stopped and there , casually sitting right in the middle of the gravel road in front of us , was a Galapagos tortoise . Jumping out of the vehicle , I slowly approached the animal , absorbing every moment of this special encounter . During our four-hour search , we sighted at least 30 individual tortoises , ranging in size from three-year-olds , through to the biggest specimen I had ever seen , estimated to be over 120 years old .
Our passionate and knowledgeable guides had been exploring the islands for most of their lives . Aware that many documentary films had been shot on location in the Galapagos , I asked one of our guides , Jose , if he had ever led a film crew before . Jose went on to explain that he had been involved with many film crews , but that he found it ‘ boring ’ as they would sit in one spot filming the same animal for many hours to get the perfect shot . Although he didn ’ t know who Sir David Attenborough was when I asked him , he did confirm that he had worked with an ‘ old British guy who always wore a blue shirt and white trousers ’ and whom he had met on a number of occasions .
During my time in the Galapagos , I was also fortunate enough to visit a number of Galapagos tortoise conservation and breeding centres . These centres have been established to breed the most endangered of the 11 remaining species of giant tortoise and reintroduce the offspring back into their natural habitats . The centres were initially populated with a number of mature wild specimens brought into captivity . These large adults are housed in spacious , open enclosures that are naturally landscaped with native foliage and lava rocks . Upon our arrival at one of the centres , it appeared that breeding efforts were well underway , with a large pair of mating tortoises greeting us at the front entrance ! Copulation in giant tortoises is certainly a measure of endurance and a ‘ session ’ can last up to an hour or more , with males grunting so loudly that they can be heard from miles away .
Female tortoises lay up to 20 eggs at a time in sandy areas within their enclosures . Specialist staff at the centre then collect the eggs , which are artificially incubated for a period of 120-160 days . Hatchlings are reared in covered , outdoor , concrete enclosures with wire-mesh lids to provide protection from birds and other predators . The juvenile tortoises are raised in captivity for approximately six to seven years until they reach a size large enough to give them the best possible chance of survival in the wild . Unfortunately , introduced rats still plague many of the islands and feast upon small tortoises that hatch naturally . The centres produce around 190 hatchling tortoises every year , and so far a total of more than 2,000 have been released , which has been of significant assistance in stabilising wild populations .
For any reptile fanatic , the giant tortoises are certainly something to be marvelled at . But wait - there ’ s more ! Another astonishing form of reptile also inhabits these amazing islands – and it is equally at home on land and in the sea . The Galapagos are famous for their large populations of endemic iguanas . Most recognisable is the Marine Iguana ( Amblyrhynchus crisatus ), however , there are also three species of land iguana belonging to the genus Conolophus which are found throughout the archipelago . Genetic studies show that the land and Marine Iguanas diverged from each other sometime between eight and ten million years ago , and can be traced back to a common ancestor that likely made its way to the islands on floating debris from the South American mainland . However , Marine Iguanas are still capable of hybridizing with their terrestrial cousins , and natural hybrids are sometimes encountered on South Plaza Island .
I found it amusing reading excerpts from Charles Darwin ’ s journal concerning his first observations of the iguanas of the Galapagos . Darwin described them as ‘ hideous looking ’ and the ‘ most disgusting clumsy lizards ’ that have a ‘ singularly