Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa
Giant tortoises are among the longest-lived animals on the planet. Some individual Aldabra giant tortoises are thought to be over 200 years of age, but this is difficult to verify because they tend to outlive their human observers. Adwaita was reputedly one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the British East India Company in the 18th century, and came to Calcutta Zoo in 1875. At his death in March 2006 at the Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) Zoo in India, Adwaita is reputed to have reached the longest ever measured life span of 255 years (birth year 1750). Today, Jonathan, a -year-old, Saint Helena-dwelling Seychelles giant tortoise, is thought to be the oldest living terrestrial animal on Earth since the 2006 death of Harriet; a 176 year old Galapagos giant tortoise who lived at Australia Zoo. Coming in second to Jonathan is Esmeralda, at years old. Esmeralda is an Aldabra giant tortoise that lives in the Galapagos Islands.
Galápagos green turtle
Female Galápagos green turtles most often only lay eggs every 2–3 years and spend the time between resting and foraging. Fertilization occurs under water with only females emerging for nesting. Mating has not been witnessed outside of the nesting season and usually occurs off shore near the nesting sites. Nesting space can be somewhat limited due to the consistency of the beaches in the Galápagos, being of volcanic origin. Many rocky areas and cliffs are present, with limited space on sandy beaches. Also, the sandy areas tend to be quite dry, and this causes many cave-ins of the nests. Females in the Galápagos have modified their nesting habits due to this factor and usually keep one hind flipper in the nest while depositing the eggs to prevent the unwanted cave-in. Clutch size varies from 50 to 200 eggs per nest and can take up to three hours to accomplish. However, Galápagos green turtles are known to have smaller clutch sizes than other populations. After the eggs are laid, the female covers them with sand and presses down with her plastron for compaction. They have also been noted to make a false nest next to their primary nest to try to fool predators. When leaving, the female turtle attempts to cover any trace of her presence by flinging sand around in the nest area.