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Cerro Azul giant tortoise
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Chelonoidis
Species:	C. niger
Subspecies:	C. n. vicina
Trinomial name
Chelonoidis niger vicina (Günther, 1875)
Synonyms
Testudo vicina Günther, 1875 Geochelone nigra vicina (Günther 1875) Testudo microphyes Günther, 1875 Testudo guentheri Baur, 1889 Testudo macrophyes Garman, 1917 Testudo vandenburghi De Sola, 1930

Chelonoidis niger vicina, commonly known as the Cerro Azul giant tortoise, Iguana Cove tortoise or the Isabela Island giant tortoise, is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise endemic to Isabela Island in the Galápagos.

Population history

This population was depleted by seamen in the last 200 years and by extensive slaughter in the late 1950s and 1960s by employees of cattle companies based at Iguana Cove. Their population is thought to overlap with Chelonoidis niger guentheri.

Description

It has a thick, heavy shell intermediate between saddle-backed and domed, and not appreciably narrowed anteriorly. Males are larger and more saddle-backed; females are more domed. Until eradication programs, virtually all nests and hatchlings were destroyed by black rats, pigs, dogs, and cats.

References

1. ^ Cayot, L.J.; Gibbs, J.P.; Tapia, W.; Caccone, A. (2018). "Chelonoidis vicina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T9028A144765855. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T9028A144765855.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. MacFarland 1974a. The galapagos giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus). I. Status of the surviving populations. Biological Conservation. 6(2):118–133

Further reading

• Günther, 1875 : Descriptions of the living and extinct races of gigantic land–tortoises. Parts I and II. Introduction, and the tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 165, p. 251–284.

v t e Tortoise family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidae
Genera	Species of the tortoise family
Agrionemys	Russian tortoise
Aldabrachelys	Aldabra giant tortoise (subspecies: A. g. arnoldi †A. g. daudinii A. g. hololissa) †Aldabrachelys abrupta †Aldabrachelys grandidieri
Astrochelys	Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise †Astrochelys rogerbouri
Centrochelys	African spurred tortoise †Centrochelys atlantica †Centrochelys burchardi †Centrochelys vulcanica
Chelonoidis	Chaco tortoise Red-footed tortoise Yellow-footed tortoise †Chelonoidis alburyorum †Chelonoidis cubensis †Chelonoidis lutzae †Chelonoidis monensis †Chelonoidis sellovii †Chelonoidis sombrerensis
Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis complex	Cerro Azul giant tortoise Chatham Island giant tortoise Eastern Santa Cruz tortoise Fernandina Island tortoise †Floreana Island tortoise Hood Island giant tortoise (Diego) Santa Fe Island tortoise †Pinta Island tortoise †(Lonesome George) Santiago Island giant tortoise Pinzón Island giant tortoise Sierra Negra giant tortoise Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise Volcán Darwin giant tortoise Volcán Wolf giant tortoise Western Santa Cruz tortoise
†Cheirogaster	†Cheirogaster bacharidisi †Cheirogaster gymnesica †Cheirogaster schafferi
Chersina	Angulate tortoise
Chersobius	Nama padloper Karoo padloper Speckled padloper
†Cylindraspis	†Domed Mauritius giant tortoise †Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise †Réunion giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
Geochelone	Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise
Gopherus	Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Goode's thornscrub tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise
†Hadrianus	†Hadrianus corsoni †Hadrianus majusculus †Hadrianus octonaria †Hadrianus robustus †Hadrianus schucherti †Hadrianus utahensis †Hadrianus vialovi
†Hesperotestudo	†Hesperotestudo percrassa
Homopus	Common padloper Greater padloper
Indotestudo	Elongated tortoise Forsten's tortoise Travancore tortoise
Kinixys	Bell's hinge-back tortoise Forest hinge-back tortoise Home's hinge-back tortoise Lobatse hinge-back tortoise Natal hinge-back tortoise Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Malacochersus	Pancake tortoise
Manouria	Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise
†Megalochelys	†Megalochelys atlas †Megalochelys cautleyi †Megalochelys margae †Megalochelys sondaari
Psammobates	Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise
Pyxis	Flat-backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise
Stigmochelys	Leopard tortoise
†Stylemys	†Stylemys botti †Stylemys calaverensis †Stylemys canetotiana †Stylemys capax †Stylemys conspecta †Stylemys copei †Stylemys emiliae †Stylemys frizaciana †Stylemys karakolensis †Stylemys nebrascensis †Stylemys neglectus †Stylemys oregonensis †Stylemys pygmea †Stylemys uintensis †Stylemys undabuna
Testudo	Hermann's tortoise Kleinmann's tortoise Marginated tortoise Spur-thighed tortoise †Testudo brevitesta
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

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• IUCN Red List endangered species
• Chelonoidis
• Subspecies
• Taxa named by Albert Günther
• Endemic reptiles of the Galápagos Islands
• Reptiles described in 1875
• Turtle stubs