Artist: David Nockels (biography)
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 17" x 9" (420mm x 220mm)
Date: c. 1970

This is the unique original Gouache painting by David Nockels.

Galápagos tortoises are the giants of the tortoise world. Males can weigh more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms), and females average about 250 pounds (113 kilograms). They have thick, sturdy legs to hold up all that weight, but they still spend a lot of time lying down to conserve energy.

There are two types of Galápagos tortoises. The largest, with big, round shells, are called domes. The smaller kinds of tortoises have shells that curl up in front like a saddle and are called saddlebacks.

When threatened, the tortoise pulls itself into its shell with a hiss. The hissing sound is just the tortoise letting air out of its lungs. If a fight breaks out among males, the tortoises face each other with ferocious glares, open their mouth, and stretch their head as high as they can. Whoever reaches the highest wins, even if he is much smaller overall than the other male! The loser pulls his head in with a noisy hiss, and the battle is over.

Original publication yet to be determined but from the Look and Learn family.

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