GALAPAGOS TORTOISE

When this tortoise became available at a London auction, I got very excited. Why? It is an adult that was mounted in 1870 a mere 35 years after a 22-year-old Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos aboard the HMS Beagle in 1835. Galapagos tortoises live over 100 years in the wild, so it is very likely that this tortoise was on the Galapagos Islands at the same time as Charles Darwin. This had me geeking out! When the bidding went live, it was 3a.m. and I was in a dark hotel room on my laptop. My wife and I were driving back from Spring Break in New Orleans with our girls. I was afraid there would be some glitch and I would lose my connection. Thankfully that didn’t happen. I won and was elated. My wife expressed concern for my mental health. 😊