Giant tortoise Giant tortoises are any of several species of various large land tortoises, which include a number of extinct species, as well as two extant species with multiple subspecies formerly common on the islands of the western Indian Ocean and on the ...

s are any of various large land

tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

s Giant tortoise or giant tortoises may also refer to: * Galápagos giant tortoise, ''Chelonoidis nigra'' are a complex of the largest living species of tortoise. :: Pinta giant tortoise or

Pinta Island tortoise The Pinta Island tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger ''), also known as the Pinta giant tortoise, Abingdon Island tortoise, or Abingdon Island giant tortoise, was a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise native to Ecuador's Pinta Island. The subspecies wa ...

, ''Chelonoidis abingdonii'', is a species of Galápagos tortoise native to Ecuador's Pinta Island that is most likely extinct since the death of

Lonesome George Lonesome George ( es, Solitario George or , 1910 – June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger abingdonii'') and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creat ...

Volcán Wolf giant tortoise The Volcán Wolf giant tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger becki)'', also known commonly as the Wolf Volcano giant tortoise and the Cape Berkeley giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The subspecies is nat ...

, ''Chelonoidis becki'', is a species of Galápagos tortoise native to the north side of Ecuador's Isabela Island :: Narborough Island giant tortoise or Fernandina Island tortoise ''Chelonoidis phantasticus'', is a species of Galápagos tortoise that was last seen in 1906, until a single female individual was rediscovered living on Fernandina Island in February 2019. * ''

Aldabrachelys ''Aldabrachelys'' is the recognised genus for the Seychelles and Madagascan radiations of giant tortoises, including the Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea''). Naming This name is problematic in that the type specimen is actually r ...

'', a genus of giant tortoises of the Seychelles and Madagascan radiations :: †'' A. abrupta'' - Abrupt giant tortoise :: †'' A. grandidieri'' - Grandidier's giant tortoise ::

Aldabra giant tortoise The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.Pritchar ...

, ''A. gigantea'' with recognised subspecies: :::'' A. g. arnoldi'' – Arnold's giant tortoise :::†'' A. g. daudinii'' – Daudin's giant tortoise :::'' A. g. gigantea'' – Aldabra giant tortoise :::'' A. g. hololissa'' – Seychelles giant tortoise, the individual

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

being the oldest known living terrestrial animal in the world * †''

Cylindraspis ''Cylindraspis'' is a genus of recently extinct giant tortoises. All of its species lived in the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion) in the Indian Ocean and all are now extinct due to hunting and introduction of non-native pre ...

'' an extinct genus of tortoise with the following species: :: †''C. indica'',

Réunion giant tortoise The Reunion giant tortoise (''Cylindraspis indica'') is an extinct species of giant tortoise in the family Testudinidae. It was endemic to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This giant tortoise was numerous in the 17th and early 18th centur ...

, from Réunion :: †''C. inepta'',

Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise The saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise (''Cylindraspis inepta'') is an extinct species of giant tortoise in the family Testudinidae. It was endemic to Mauritius. The last records of this tortoise date to the early 18th century. Descripti ...

, from Mauritius :: †''C. peltastes'',

Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise The domed Rodrigues giant tortoise (''Cylindraspis peltastes'') is an extinct species of giant tortoise in the family Testudinidae. It was endemic to Rodrigues. It appears to have become extinct around 1800, as a result of human exploitation ...

, from Rodrigues :: †''C. triserrata'',

Domed Mauritius giant tortoise The domed Mauritius giant tortoise (''Cylindraspis triserrata'') is an extinct species of giant tortoise. It was endemic to Mauritius. Description One of two different giant tortoise species which were endemic to Mauritius, this domed species s ...

, from Mauritius :: †''C. vosmaeri'',

Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise The saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise (''Cylindraspis vosmaeri)'' is an extinct species of giant tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species was endemic to Rodrigues. Human exploitation caused the extinction of this species around 1800 ...

, from Rodrigues * † Tenerife giant tortoise, ''Centrochelys burchardi'', a species of tortoise endemic to the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands * † Gran Canaria giant tortoise, ''Centrochelys vulcanica'', a species of tortoise endemic to the island of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands * †''

Megalochelys atlas ''Megalochelys'' ("great turtle") is an extinct genus of cryptodiran tortoises that lived from the Miocene to Pleistocene. They are noted for their giant size, which is among the largest of any known testudine, with a maximum carapace length ove ...

'', an extinct species of giant tortoise, the largest known tortoise in the fossil record *

Yellow-footed tortoise The yellow-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis denticulatus''), also known as the Brazilian giant tortoise, commonly referred to as the Brazilian giant turtle, or more commonly, the big turtle, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae and ...

(''Chelonoidis denticulatus''), also known as the Brazilian giant tortoise *

Bolson tortoise The Bolson tortoise (''Gopherus flavomarginatus''), also called the Mexican giant tortoise or yellow-margined tortoise, is a species of tortoise from North America. Of the six North American tortoise species, it is the largest, having a carapace ...

, (''Gopherus flavomarginatus''), also known as the Mexican giant tortoise * Key: † indicates extinct.

See also