Don’t set your watch to the migration timetable of the Galápagos giant tortoise—it doesn’t follow a predictable schedule the way so many other animal migrations do. Scientists first tracked the migration of giant tortoises in the Galápagos Islands in 2013, and they’ve discovered that not only is it marvelously slow, it’s kind of erratic, and flies in the face of human understanding as to why and how most animals migrate. Only the older tortoises make the roughly 6-mile climb out of the soggy jungle up into the hills—in this case, the slopes of Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island. The journey is loosely related to mating, but researchers think there may be many other unknown variables at play. Whatever compelled these two lumbering giants up here, in about six months, they’ll start the slow climb back down to the jungle.
A long, erratic commute
Today in History
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Bavljenac Island
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Grand Teton National Park
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Wheels up in Beijing
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Inhale and exhale, it’s Yoga Day
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Welcome to the Hoh
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World Meteorological Day
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One for the books
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Summer huts in winter
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International Day of Human Space Flight
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Shining like Klondike gold
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Canadian Thanksgiving
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Christmas Tree Point Road and Twin Peaks, San Francisco
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Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
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Honoring our fallen heroes
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No, it s not a leaf. Happy Look-alike Day
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A long winter’s nap, perhaps?
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Carnival comes to Olinda
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Women s History Month
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Ski touring in Austria
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Jasper Dark Sky Festival
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Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
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Fin whales: A success story
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A shell of many colors
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Loud waters
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National Bison Day
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A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
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Quebec City for Winter Carnival
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Lanterns alight in Pingxi
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Cheetah in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
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Cousins Day