Food for the tortoises is not exactly abundant in the Galápagos Islands. As an adaptation to this, they have a very slow metabolism, the move slowly, and they grow slowly, so they don’t require much food. read more
The giant tortoise has an armored shell for protection, but it also has a couple of other features that correlate with long life. As an island species, it has enjoyed natural protection from predators over the course of its history. It's also very large, and larger animals tend to live longer than small ones. read more