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Nature

How tall is a Galápagos giant tortoise?

An adult Galápagos giant tortoise is about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall.

What is measured: shell height, adult

Galápagos giant tortoise (1.1 m) drawn to scale beside a bowling pin (38.1 cm) and an adult person (1.7 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Bowling pin (38.1 cm), Galápagos giant tortoise (1.1 m) and Adult person (1.7 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 65% of the height of an adult person
  • About 55% of the height of a doorway
  • About 2.9× as tall as a bowling pin
  • About 7.5× as tall as a smartphone
  • About 18% of the length of a 20-foot shipping container

Learn

Facts about Galápagos giant tortoise

Galápagos giant tortoises evolved into several island forms, with differences in shell shape and neck length linked to local vegetation.

Source: Galápagos Conservancy — Giant Tortoise; Smithsonian's National Zoo — Galápagos Tortoise

Nature

NameSizeCompared with Galápagos giant tortoise
Giant panda70 cm (2 ft 4 in)0.64×
Rafflesia arnoldii1 m (3 ft 3 in)0.91×
Coconut crab1 m (3 ft 3 in)0.91×
Galápagos giant tortoise1.1 m (3 ft 7 in)this page
Snow leopard1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)1.2×
Okapi1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)1.5×
Red kangaroo1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)1.6×
Welwitschia2 m (6 ft 7 in)1.8×
Moeraki Boulder2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)2×
Harpy eagle2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)2×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Galápagos giant tortoise or Okapi?

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