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Pinta Island Galapagos tortoise deep water or shallow water

2021-12-12 / 848 Read

Pinta Island Galapagos tortoises are the largest living tortoises, so they cannot be kept in deep water. Pinta Galapagos tortoises are herbivores, with a diet that includes cacti, grass, leaves, moss, lichens, and berries. Guavas, water ferns, and bromeliads have also been recorded to consume an average of 32-36 kg per day, but inefficient digestive systems limit nutrient absorption. Their body's water intake mainly comes from dew and plant sap, especially cactus plants.

Pinta

Pinta Island Galapagos tortoises can go without water for long periods of time and still survive for 18 months if deprived of all food and water. When thirsty, they drink large amounts of water very quickly, storing them in their bladders or in the pericardium of their necks, which are the species' reservoir of water. On arid islands, tortoises will lick the morning dew on boulders, as many generations of giant tortoises have formed half-circle-shaped depressions in these rocks because of repeated licking.