The rest of the day is spent grazing and browsing. Giant tortoises are believed to mature in 20 to 25 years. Mating season is between January and August. Males stalk females and court them by ramming into them and nipping legs. The male has a concave plastron to facilitate mating.
Nests take several days to dig.
Only 2-16 eggs are laid once a year. It is thought that giant tortoises in the wild may live over 200 years. Captain Cook presented a giant tortoise from Madagascar to the Queen of Tonga in the 1770's. It died in 1966. It is likely that the Galapagos tortoises have similar life spans.