Gran Canaria giant tortoise facts for kids

Imagine a huge tortoise that once roamed the sunny island of Gran Canaria! The Gran Canaria giant tortoise (its scientific name is Centrochelys vulcanica) was a giant turtle that lived only on this island, which is part of the Canary Islands. Sadly, this amazing creature is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists. It belonged to a group of turtles called cryptodires and was part of the Testudinidae family, which includes many land tortoises.

Discovering the Gran Canaria Giant Tortoise

Scientists learned about the Gran Canaria giant tortoise by studying its fossils. These fossils show that the tortoise lived from a time called the Miocene period all the way to the Pleistocene period. This means it lived for millions of years!

Family of Giant Tortoises

The Gran Canaria giant tortoise was one of two known types of giant tortoises that lived in the Canary Islands. The other one, called C. burchardi, lived on the island of Tenerife. Both of these giant tortoises likely came from North Africa, traveling across the sea to reach the islands.

What We Know from Fossils

Most of the fossils found for C. vulcanica are actually eggs and nests! These egg and nest fossils range in age from the Miocene to the Pliocene periods. Scientists have also found bones and shells, which tell us more about their bodies. These bone and shell fossils date from the Miocene up to the later part of the Pleistocene period.

How Big Were They?

The shell of the Gran Canaria giant tortoise could grow up to about 61 centimeters (about 2 feet) long. This made it a large animal, but it was a little smaller than its cousin, C. burchardi, from Tenerife. The Tenerife giant tortoise had a shell that could be anywhere from 65 to 94 centimeters long.

Other Fossil Discoveries

Scientists have also found fossilized tortoise eggs on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. However, these eggs haven't been fully studied or given a scientific name yet. Some people thought the Fuerteventura eggs might belong to C. burchardi, but this idea is not certain and is still being discussed by experts.

See also

• List of extinct animals
• List of African animals extinct in the Holocene
• List of extinct animals of Europe
• Island gigantism