When ships stopped at the islands they often left animals behind in addition to taking tortoises. Pigs and goats were released to breed and so doing, be available to the whaling crew on their future stops. Rats, cats and dogs also either jumped ship or were released. While none of these animals kill the adult tortoise directly, they either eat their eggs or compete with the tortoises for food. Reptile Gardens has been working closely with the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos in an effort to save this magnificent species.

Giant tortoise eggs are about the size of a tennis ball and are buried in moist sand or loose soil. At hatching, the babies are about 3 inches long. It takes a tortoise about 20 years to reach breeding size.

Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises are strict vegetarians, feeding on various grasses. They are fond of fruits and most vegetables. At home on their islands they feed in the morning and evening, resting in a shady place during the hot mid-day hours. By necessity, they are able to go for long periods without food or water. In the Galapagos Islands some tortoises' main diet is cactus.

The tortoise likely would not beat the hare, but when strongly motivated these big fellows can hike right along. They have been known to travel 3 or 4 miles in a day on rugged terrain. They are also very powerful and can plow over small trees, people, and many types of fences. Their armor makes the larger specimens nearly invulnerable to attack by any of the creatures found in their homeland. If threatened they quickly draw their heads in with a loud hiss and bring their plated front legs together. The tail is tucked in as additional defense.

Turtles and tortoises lack teeth, but their jaws are lined with horny sharp ridges which come together like a pair of pinking shears. Some types of turtles will bite viciously, but these gentle creatures almost never will. However, if a person should misjudge while offering them food a large tortoise could easily remove a finger.

People often ask the differences between turtles and tortoises. Originally a turtle was a sea going animal with flippers; it could walk on land only with great difficulty. Terrapins were the halfway animals with legs that were flipper-like yet possessing the ability to travel on land with relative ease. Tortoises are the animals that are more strictly land based and cannot survive in water over their heads. Anymore, the word 'turtle' is used to refer to all the above mentioned groups of animals and the specifics are of concern only to herpetologists