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Comparative study on the growth of juvenile Galapagos giant tortoises ( Geochelone nigra ) at the Charles Darwin Research Station (Galapagos Islands, Ecuador) and Zoo Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland)
Author(s) -
Furrer S.C.,
Hatt J.M.,
Snell H.,
Marquez C.,
Honegger R.E.,
Rübel A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.10130
Subject(s) - biology , juvenile , carapace , ecology , charles darwin , habitat , zoology , crustacean , darwinism , genetics
In this study, the growth rates of a group of Galapagos giant tortoises raised in their natural habitat at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS; Galapagos Islands, Ecuador) and a group of captive‐bred specimens (Zoo Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland) were compared for the first time. A great discrepancy in growth rates was observed after the first year. When the animals were 4 years old, the carapace in the Zurich specimens was approximately twice as long as that in the CDRS tortoises, and the Zurich animals weighed approximately 10 times more than the CDRS animals. The zoo diet was modified by a reduction in nutrients and an increase in fiber to produce a more natural growth rate. Zoo Biol 23:177‐183, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.