Natural History Wanderings

ScienceDaily reported on the discovery that the the Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos actually migrates across the volcanic slopes of the island. It was discovered through the use of GPS loggers attached to adult tortoises that they migrate up to 10 kilometers to the highlands of the islands. The young tortoises that are not yet fully grown remain in the lowlands and do not migrate.

The migration is during the dry season. There is more vegetation at the higher elevations even though it does not rain due to a thick fog cover. However, the food is not as nutritious as that found in the lowlands during the wet season. This explains why the tortoises return to the lowlands at the end of the dry season.The reason that younger tortoises do not migrate is not known. Read more at Science Daily: Galapagos tortoises are a migrating species.