I was looking on the IUCN Red List and have noticed that the Galapagos giant tortoise Chelonoidis nigra no longer exists - they are now using an updated classification that has split it up into fourteen species, many with rather different appearances. I have decided to try, as best as possible, to narrow down which animal the Planet Zoo tortoises represent so that changes could be made.
The current Galapagos giant tortoise image on the Zoopedia has some good identification markers - the shell is domed, with a slight upflick at the front of the shell and protruding scutes at the front of the shell with gaps between each. The Zoopedia also mentions these tortoises having a wild population of about 900 individuals.
Immediately able to be discounted are the three species classified as extinct or possibly extinct. These are the Pinta, Floreana and Fernandina (although the latter may have recently bee rediscovered, there are probably only single figures in terms of surviving animals); all have saddlebacked shells and so were also morphologically distinct.
Another five living species also have saddlebacked shells and can be ruled out from further consideration - these are the Wolf Volcano, Sierra Negra, Pinzon, Espanola and Alcedo giant tortoises.
Another two tortoises, the Santiago and San Cristobal, do not have a full saddleback shell but are intermediate between this and the domed shells seen in the Planet Zoo tortoises which allows them to be ruled out as well.
This leaves just four species of dome-shelled giant tortoise. These are the endangered Darwin Volcano giant tortoise (global population of 500-1,000), the endangered Cerro Azul giant tortoise (1,800-2,700 individuals), the critically endangered Don Fausto's giant tortoise (population of 550) and the critically endangered Santa Cruz giant tortoise (population of 3,400).
The scutes around the lip of the shell appear too rounded to be from Don Fausto's, which has sharper-looking scutes in life:
The scutes are smaller and more abundant than in the Darwin Volcano tortoise, with the divisions between each scute less pronounced:
The Cerro Azul giant tortoise is potentially a very close match to the Planet Zoo animal:
While there is a lot of variation in the scute pattern around the shell lip in Santa Cruz giant tortoises, they are also a close match to the animal in the game (male on the left, female on the right):
Personally, I feel the animal should be changed to the Santa Cruz giant tortoise Chelonioidis porteri; not only is this a very close match in terms of appearance but it is the only Galapagos giant tortoise where multiple individuals classified to this species are kept outside of Ecuador.
In terms of changes, there would need to be very little - common and scientific names, the IUCN status, population and possibly the distribution map. I hope that these changes are small enough to be workable in the game, as it would help improve the realism regarding these animals.
All the images and information regarding the different tortoises can be found on this website:
www.tropicalherping.com
The current Galapagos giant tortoise image on the Zoopedia has some good identification markers - the shell is domed, with a slight upflick at the front of the shell and protruding scutes at the front of the shell with gaps between each. The Zoopedia also mentions these tortoises having a wild population of about 900 individuals.
Immediately able to be discounted are the three species classified as extinct or possibly extinct. These are the Pinta, Floreana and Fernandina (although the latter may have recently bee rediscovered, there are probably only single figures in terms of surviving animals); all have saddlebacked shells and so were also morphologically distinct.
Another five living species also have saddlebacked shells and can be ruled out from further consideration - these are the Wolf Volcano, Sierra Negra, Pinzon, Espanola and Alcedo giant tortoises.
Another two tortoises, the Santiago and San Cristobal, do not have a full saddleback shell but are intermediate between this and the domed shells seen in the Planet Zoo tortoises which allows them to be ruled out as well.
This leaves just four species of dome-shelled giant tortoise. These are the endangered Darwin Volcano giant tortoise (global population of 500-1,000), the endangered Cerro Azul giant tortoise (1,800-2,700 individuals), the critically endangered Don Fausto's giant tortoise (population of 550) and the critically endangered Santa Cruz giant tortoise (population of 3,400).
The scutes around the lip of the shell appear too rounded to be from Don Fausto's, which has sharper-looking scutes in life:
The scutes are smaller and more abundant than in the Darwin Volcano tortoise, with the divisions between each scute less pronounced:
The Cerro Azul giant tortoise is potentially a very close match to the Planet Zoo animal:
While there is a lot of variation in the scute pattern around the shell lip in Santa Cruz giant tortoises, they are also a close match to the animal in the game (male on the left, female on the right):
Personally, I feel the animal should be changed to the Santa Cruz giant tortoise Chelonioidis porteri; not only is this a very close match in terms of appearance but it is the only Galapagos giant tortoise where multiple individuals classified to this species are kept outside of Ecuador.
In terms of changes, there would need to be very little - common and scientific names, the IUCN status, population and possibly the distribution map. I hope that these changes are small enough to be workable in the game, as it would help improve the realism regarding these animals.
All the images and information regarding the different tortoises can be found on this website:
Tortoises of Ecuador
Information, maps, and images about Ecuador’s 15 species of tortoises of the family Testudinidae in the online version of the Reptiles of Ecuador book.
www.tropicalherping.com
