Top 'peace-loving' animals in the animal world: Dislikes conflicts, 'competitions' by comparing one thing

The Galapagos Tortoise is the largest tortoise alive today, and perhaps the most famous of all the Galapagos Islands. They have a huge body, can reach a weight of 400kg and a carapace length of 1.8m.

However, in addition to their "burly" physique, these turtle friends also possess many unique behaviors and characteristics that no other animal can copy.

The Galapagos tortoise is the largest tortoise alive today.

First of all, the Galapagos tortoise is not only "big" but also one of the longest living land animals, with an average lifespan of more than a century. With confinement conditions, they can reach a record 176 years old.

While the expression "slow as a turtle" holds true for the most part, the Galapagos tortoise is a little different. Of course in most situations they are still slow, but when it comes to breeding season, they are full of energy and unusually quick, being able to travel up to 13km/2 days.

 The Galapagos tortoise is not only "big" but also one of the longest living terrestrial animals.

The Galapagos tortoise apparently lives in the Galapagos Islands, just off the coast of Ecuador. What many people don't know, however, is that the islands are named after the turtles, not vice versa.

It all started when Spanish sailors discovered the area in 1535 and found turtles everywhere. They then decided to name the islands after galapago, the Old Spanish word for saddle, due to the shape of the turtle's shell. People had even ridden these saddleback turtles before they knew it was bad for the giant reptile.

Talking about the name saddle, this turtle has 2 different types: the larger species with round, dome-shaped shell and the smaller species with the shell rolled up like a saddle.

2 different "lineages" of Galapagos tortoises.

Their carapace is also not completely dense, having a honeycomb structure containing air chambers to reduce weight, allowing them to carry such a weight all day. Of course, this carapace is also attached to their body and carries many internal organs, making it an inseparable part.

But one of the most interesting features of these turtles is observed when they are in dispute. Discord among Galapagos tortoise "brothers" often occurs between males over territory, food or mate issues.

The one with the higher neck will automatically win.

To "fight", the two turtle brothers will glare at each other, open their mouths wide and raise their necks as high as possible. Body size doesn't matter, as long as the one with the higher neck will automatically win.

The losing turtle will then have to lower its head, retract its mouth, retract its neck into its shell and "quail" away in a humiliating defeat.

This trait is thought to have evolved from Galapagos tortoises needing a long neck to be able to reach food in trees. In particular, the new "saddle" shell turtle has this behavior because they live on islands with a dry climate, with little food (but also at high altitudes); Therefore, all efforts to resolve disputes peacefully to protect populations are necessary.