does galapagos mean tortoise?
The GalÃ¡pagos tortoises are native to seven of the GalÃ¡pagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the Ecuadorian mainland. With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. A captive individual lived at least 170 years. Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galÃ¡pago, meaning tortoise. Shell size and shape vary between populations.