Galapagos Tortoises: Living with Giants

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/39/ca/e1/39cae169-f883-e345-c83f-d7fed1d930be/mza_6789001282186643359.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Turtle Tea with TTPG

Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group

6 episodes

5 days ago

Pour yourself a cup and join me for Turtle Tea! Whether you're a new keeper or a die-hard turtle nerd, we're sharing the inside secrets for keeping and breeding a variety of species. This show is brought to you by the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group (TTPG), whose mission is to ensure survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through captive breeding. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out - we’re brewing up new episodes twice a month, every first and third Monday.

Pets & Animals

Kids & Family

RSS

All content for Turtle Tea with TTPG is the property of Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Pets & Animals

Kids & Family

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/44562511/44562511-1766326052220-bfa49e5e06fd5.jpg

Galapagos Tortoises: Living with Giants

Turtle Tea with TTPG

1 hour 12 minutes 17 seconds

2 weeks ago

Galapagos Tortoises: Living with Giants

Join us as we talk to Jason and Tara Troxell of Arctic Reptile Ranch about life with Galapagos tortoises. We'll talk about how they ended up on the islands to begin with (hint, it's not island gigantism!) and earned the nickname "Galap-holes". We go beyond the standard nature documentary fare to dig into what life with these magnificent animals is truly like. It’s a story that begins in an unlikely place, finding Galaps in Alaska.

Beyond their personal journey, we dive deep into the natural history of the species and exploring how humans drove giant tortoises to extinction in nearly every other part of the world. Jason and Tara also provide a sobering look at captive care, from the immense costs of veterinary treatment (sometimes the price of a car) to the reality of caring for animals you can't physically move on your own. Whether you are a dreamer or a future keeper, this episode covers the legality, logistics, and heavy lifting required to keep these surprisingly intelligent, sensitive giants.

Chapters

0:28 Introduction to Galapagos Tortoises

3:29 Jason and Tara's Journey into Tortoise Keeping

4:03 Natural History of Galapagos Tortoises

10:48 Human Impact and Conservation Challenges

21:57 Legalities of Keeping Galapagos Tortoises

26:57 Captive Care and Husbandry

38:15 Feeding and Nutritional Needs

42:46 Behavioral Insights and Social Dynamics

52:49 The Cost of Keeping Galapagos Tortoises

1:03:34 Reflections on Tortoise Intelligence and Care

1:10:39 Conclusion and Resources for Further Learning

References

Gaughran, S. J., Gray, R., Ochoa, A., Jones, M., Fusco, N., Miller, J. M., Poulakakis, N., de Queiroz, K., Caccone, A., & Jensen, E. L. (2024). Whole-genome sequencing confirms multiple species of Galapagos giant tortoises. Evolution, Volume 79, Issue 2, February 2025, Pages 296–308

Gibbs, J. P., Cayot, L. J., & Tapia A, W. (2020). Galapagos Giant Tortoises (Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes). Academic Press.

Kehlmaier, C., Barlow, A., Hastings, A. K., Vamberger, M., Paijmans, J. L., Steadman, D. W., Albury, N. A., Franz, R., Hofreiter, M., & Fritz, U. (2017). Tropical ancient DNA reveals relationships of the extinct Bahamian giant tortoise Chelonoidis alburyorum. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 284: 20162235

Lichtig, A. & Lucas, S. (2015). Turtles of the lower Eocene San Jose formation, San Juan basin, New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin. 161.

Orenstein, R.(2012). Turtles, Tortoises and Terrapins: A Natural History. Firefly Books

Rhodin, A., Thomson, S., Georgalis, G., . Hans-Volker, K., Danilov, I., Takahashi, A., de la Fuente, M., Bourque, J., Delfino, M., Bour, R., Iverson, J., Shaffer, H.B., & van Dijk, P. P. (2015). Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity: First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. 1-66.

Sadeghayobi, E., Blake, S., Wikelski, M., Gibbs, J., Mackie, R., & Cabrera, F.. (2011). Digesta retention time in the Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A. 160. 493-7.

Vlachos, E, and Rabi, M. (2018). Total Evidence Analysis and Body Size Evolution of Extant and Extinct Tortoises (Testudines: Cryptodira: Pan-Testudinidae). Cladistics 34(6): 652–683.

Wiesner, C, & Iben, C. (2003). Influence of environmental humidity and dietry protein on pyramidal growth of carapaces in African spurred tortoises (Geochelone Sulcata). Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. 87. 66-74.