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Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: Read the story. Then write TRUE, FALSE, or DOESN’T SAY under each statement.Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone (888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com
- A Galapagos tortoise’s shell is very
difficult to penetrate.
- These tortoises were named after a
group of islands.
- The Galapagos Islands are in the
Pacific Ocean.
- People introduced a dangerous
predator to the islands.
- The Galapagos Islands are a part of
Ecuador.
- The Galapagos tortoise is an
endangered animal.
- The Galapagos tortoise was almost
wiped out by natural causes.
- Today their numbers are increasing.
Endangered Giant
How could an animal that weighs 330-440
pounds and is armored with a virtually
impenetrable shell be in danger of
becoming extinct?Once thousands of these huge land-dwelling
reptiles lived on a group of islands about
650 miles west of Ecuador in South America.
So plentiful were they that the islands were
named Galapagos, the Spanish word for
tortoise.In the early to middle 1800s, the Galapagos
Islands were a popular stop for whaling and
other ships. The tortoises not only provided
a large amount of meat, but they were also
easy to capture. It is estimated that between
1811 and 1844, more than 15,000
Galapagos tortoises were caught and taken
aboard ships as food.This was not the tortoises’ only problem.
Rats from the ships came ashore and preyed
on the eggs and hatchlings.In 1959, the government of Ecuador took
steps to protect these humongous but gentle
creatures from disappearing forever.