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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Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
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The 80th anniversary of D-Day
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Corona Arch near Moab, Utah
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Perfect timing
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The Pearl of Siberia
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Festival of British Archaeology
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A stroll above the stratosphere
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Poinsettia Day
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High above the reef
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Brown-throated three-toed sloth in cecropia tree, Costa Rica
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Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida
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The long and wiggling path
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Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, India
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They’re grrrape!
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A peek behind the royal curtain
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A rock in a wild place
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In memory of those lost
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A red fox on the Swiss side of the Jura Mountain range
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Sunburst at Angkor
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World Reef Awareness Day
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A center of antiquity on the Mediterranean
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A black heron canopy feeding in Botswana
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Ponta da Piedade rock formations in Portugal
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International Polar Bear Day
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Burrowing owls
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Dancing waters of Dubai
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The Twin Cities celebrate Pride
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Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Santo Antão Island in the Republic of Cabo Verde
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Art Basel Miami Beach