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How Big Can Tortoises Get?
Jan 30, 2026 5:52 PM

  How Big Can Tortoises Get? Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/How-Big-Can-Tortoises-Get Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

  External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written and fact-checked by Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Oct. 10, 2025 •Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Tortoises as a group vary significantly in size. Giant tortoises, specifically those found on the Aldabra Islands and the Galapagos Islands, can grow to have shells exceeding 1 meter in length. As of October 2025 a Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) with an estimated weight of 417 kg (919 pounds) and a shell length of about 1.36 meters (4.46 feet), was the largest tortoise ever measured, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Named Goliath,...

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