It may seem strange to start this slide show with this mug, but "Galapagos" was an old Spanish word for Giant Tortoise. The Giant Tortoise pictured here, muching on grass, was photographed on the slopes of the island of Santa Cruz. Giant Tortoises show great variation in the shape of their carapace, coming in dome-shaped forms and saddle-shaped forms, tortoises with the latter also having longer legs. Some subspecies are restricted to a single island, while on the island of Isabela the individual volcanos had different subspecies. Sadly, some of these populations are critically endangered.