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Galapagos tortoises are the largest living species of tortoise in the world. They are also the longest living vertebrate animals on the planet. Some of these ancient beasts would have been alive when Charles Darwin made his famous voyage to the Galapagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle in 1835. They can live up to 200 years and reach a weight of nearly 1,000 pounds. These tortoises are one of the most iconic species, often the first thing to come to mind when we think of the Galapagos Islands. Charles Darwin observed that the tortoises on each of the seven islands that they inhabit had important differences in the size and shape of their shells. On islands with humid highlands, the tortoises are larger, with domed shells and short necks. On dryer islands, the tortoises have smaller shells and longer necks. This allows them to reach higher to get the vegetation that makes up their diet, in areas where ground vegetation is less plentiful.