giant tortoise

American  

noun

1. any of several large tortoises of the genus Geochelone, of the Galápagos Islands and islands near Madagascar: some are endangered.

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giant tortoise British  

noun

1. any of various very large tortoises of the genus Testudo, of the Galápagos, Seychelles, and certain other islands, weighing up to 225 kilograms (495 lbs.)

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Etymology

Origin of giant tortoise

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

The reintroduction follows a "back-breeding" programme launched in 2017 after scientists discovered tortoises carrying ancestry of the Floreana giant tortoise on nearby Isabela island.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

How did scientists prove that the tortoise they found was a Fernandina giant tortoise?

From NewsForKids.net • Mar. 7, 2024

Swimming with barrel-rolling sea lions, seeing a blue-footed booby chick peeking out from beneath its mother, kayaking with flamingoes and experiencing the meditative pace of a giant tortoise — all exceeded the goal.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2022

Even if Fernanda is the last fantastic giant tortoise, the study’s authors say that her genome sequencing is already helping them learn more about the evolution of giant tortoises.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2022

Both theories lack observational evidence: no one has ever seen a giant tortoise with the earth on its back, but then, no one has seen a superstring either.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking