Galapagos Giant Tortoises

Galapagos Giant Tortoises brings together researchers and conservationists to share the most current knowledge of the Galapagos giant tortoise species. Despite being icons of the world-famous Galapagos Archipelago and the target of more than 50 years of conservation management, Galapagos giant tortoise evolution and ecology remained mysterious until recently. This book documents the pressing conservation issues and success stories of this species that was once marked for total extinction.

This book begins with an overview of the history of the relationship between humans and Galapagos giant tortoises starting from initial heavy exploitation by pirates and whalers, and extending to the start of the modern conservation era in the 1960s. The book then shifts to detail the evolution, taxonomy, and distribution of the species, describing movement ecology, reproduction, and behavior, and conservation efforts, including issues　of　invasive species and introduced　diseases. The final portion of the book looks ahead to the future, addressing the implications of climate change on Galapagos giant tortoises and case studies of tortoise restoration.

Galapagos Giant Tortoises is the latest volume in the Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscape series. This is a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as students of biology, wildlife conservation, and herpetology.