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Chelonoidis niger vandenburghi
Chelonoidis vandenburghi
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Chelonoidis
Species:	C. niger
Subspecies:	C. n. vandenburghi
Trinomial name
Chelonoidis niger vandenburghi (De Sola, 1930)
Synonyms
Testudo vandenburghi De Sola, 1930 Geochelone elephantopus vandenburghi Pritchard, 1967 Geochelone vandenburghi Ernst & Barbour, 1989 Geochelone nigra vandenburghi Iverson, 1992 Chelonoidis vandenburghi TTWG, 2017

Chelonoidis niger vandenburghi, also known as the Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise, the Alcedo Volcano giant tortoise or the Alcedo giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to the Galápagos archipelago in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet vandenburghi honours American herpetologist John Van Denburgh.

Taxonomy

This tortoise is a subspecies of Chelonoidis niger, and is sometimes considered to be a distinct species itself.

Description

Male tortoises grow to about 129 cm (51 in) and females to about 90 cm (35 in) in length, with domed carapaces.

Behaviour

The tortoises spend most of the day feeding, resting, or congregating in muddy pools. They sleep in the open at night. Adults migrate seasonally, travelling along the rim of the volcano's caldera and descending to the lower slopes to graze on new vegetation after wet season rains.

Feeding

The tortoises feed on grass, leaves, forbs, sedges, fruit and lichens, obtaining water from their diet and pools of rainwater.

Breeding

Male tortoises compete with each other by extending their necks, gaping, biting and pushing. They utter loud guttural noises while mating. Females start nesting in May and June at the end of the wet season, laying clutches of 6–26 eggs in soft soil. Juvenile tortoises tend to stay at lower, warmer, elevations for the first 10–15 years of their lives

Distribution and habitat

The tortoise's range is limited to an area of 476 km (184 sq mi) on the Alcedo Volcano on the central part of Isabela Island. There it inhabits deciduous and evergreen forests as well as humid grassland.

Conservation

The tortoise population is estimated to comprise some 6,300 individuals, a decline of 84% since 1840, and the subspecies is considered to be Vulnerable. The tortoise population formerly suffered through predation and trampling of eggs and hatchlings, as well as habitat degradation, by introduced animals including pigs, donkeys and goats. Volcanic eruptions have also affected the tortoises and their habitat, with a major eruption of Alcedo 100,000 years ago thought to be the cause of the subspecies' low genetic diversity.

References

1. Cayot, L.J., Gibbs, J.P., Tapia, W. & Caccone, A. (2018). "Volcán Alcedo Giant Tortoise". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. ^ Arteaga, A; Bustamante, L; Vieira, J; Guayasamin, JM (2020). Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Quito: Universidad Tecnológica Indoamereica.
4. "Chelonoidis vandenburghi (DESOLA, 1930)". Reptile Database. Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

v t e Tortoise family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidae
Genera	Species of the tortoise family
Agrionemys	Russian tortoise
Aldabrachelys	Aldabra giant tortoise (subspecies: A. g. arnoldi †A. g. daudinii A. g. hololissa) †Aldabrachelys abrupta †Aldabrachelys grandidieri
Astrochelys	Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise †Astrochelys rogerbouri
Centrochelys	African spurred tortoise †Centrochelys atlantica †Centrochelys burchardi †Centrochelys vulcanica
Chelonoidis	Chaco tortoise Red-footed tortoise Yellow-footed tortoise †Chelonoidis alburyorum †Chelonoidis cubensis †Chelonoidis lutzae †Chelonoidis monensis †Chelonoidis sellovii †Chelonoidis sombrerensis
Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis complex	Cerro Azul giant tortoise Chatham Island giant tortoise Eastern Santa Cruz tortoise Fernandina Island tortoise †Floreana Island tortoise Hood Island giant tortoise (Diego) Santa Fe Island tortoise †Pinta Island tortoise †(Lonesome George) Santiago Island giant tortoise Pinzón Island giant tortoise Sierra Negra giant tortoise Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise Volcán Darwin giant tortoise Volcán Wolf giant tortoise Western Santa Cruz tortoise
†Cheirogaster	†Cheirogaster bacharidisi †Cheirogaster gymnesica †Cheirogaster schafferi
Chersina	Angulate tortoise
Chersobius	Nama padloper Karoo padloper Speckled padloper
†Cylindraspis	†Domed Mauritius giant tortoise †Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise †Réunion giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
Geochelone	Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise
Gopherus	Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Goode's thornscrub tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise
†Hadrianus	†Hadrianus corsoni †Hadrianus majusculus †Hadrianus octonaria †Hadrianus robustus †Hadrianus schucherti †Hadrianus utahensis †Hadrianus vialovi
†Hesperotestudo	†Hesperotestudo percrassa
Homopus	Common padloper Greater padloper
Indotestudo	Elongated tortoise Forsten's tortoise Travancore tortoise
Kinixys	Bell's hinge-back tortoise Forest hinge-back tortoise Home's hinge-back tortoise Lobatse hinge-back tortoise Natal hinge-back tortoise Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Malacochersus	Pancake tortoise
Manouria	Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise
†Megalochelys	†Megalochelys atlas †Megalochelys cautleyi †Megalochelys margae †Megalochelys sondaari
Psammobates	Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise
Pyxis	Flat-backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise
Stigmochelys	Leopard tortoise
†Stylemys	†Stylemys botti †Stylemys calaverensis †Stylemys canetotiana †Stylemys capax †Stylemys conspecta †Stylemys copei †Stylemys emiliae †Stylemys frizaciana †Stylemys karakolensis †Stylemys nebrascensis †Stylemys neglectus †Stylemys oregonensis †Stylemys pygmea †Stylemys uintensis †Stylemys undabuna
Testudo	Hermann's tortoise Kleinmann's tortoise Marginated tortoise Spur-thighed tortoise †Testudo brevitesta
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

• IUCN Red List vulnerable species
• Chelonoidis
• Subspecies
• Turtles of South America
• Endemic reptiles of the Galápagos Islands
• Reptiles of Ecuador
• Reptiles described in 1930