How old do Galapagos tortoises get?
Galápagos tortoise
Young animals emerge from the nest after four to eight months and may weigh only 50g (1.8oz) and measure 6cm (2.4in).[45] When the young tortoises emerge from their shells, they must dig their way to the surface, which can take several weeks, though their yolk sac can sustain them up to seven months.[75] In particularly dry conditions, the hatchlings may die underground if they are encased by hardened soil, while flooding of the nest area can drown them. Species are initially indistinguishable as they all have domed carapaces. The young stay in warmer lowland areas for their first 10–15 years,[39] encountering hazards such as falling into cracks, being crushed by falling rocks, or excessive heat stress. The Galápagos hawk was formerly the sole native predator of the tortoise hatchlings;  Darwin wrote: "The young tortoises, as soon as they are hatched, fall prey in great numbers to the buzzard".[77] The hawk is now much rarer, but introduced feral pigs, dogs, cats, and black rats have become predators of eggs and young tortoises.[99] The adult tortoises have no natural predators apart from humans; Darwin noted: "The old ones seem generally to die from accidents, as from falling down precipices. At least several of the inhabitants told me, they had never found one dead without some such apparent cause".[77]