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1. 



INTRODUCTION 



There are many species of animals whose present day 

 existence is dependent upon man's attempts to insure 

 their survival. One such example is the giant tortoise 

 endemic to the Galapagos Islands. These tortoises are 

 now extinct on all but six of the larger islands, and 

 even these populations are threatened with extinction. 



Due to the early work of Darwin (1875) and the 

 uniqueness of the Galapagos fauna, international 

 attention has been focused on these islands for further 

 exploration and study. Through the combined 

 conservation and management efforts of the Charles 

 Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos 

 National Park Service, research and study of this 

 environment is being continued. As a result, the 

 surviving populations of giant tortoise have 

 stabilized, and some are returning to their former 

 abundance. 



Papers resulting from these studies provide interesting 

 information for the novice and pertinent data for the 

 scientist regarding the life histories of Galapagos 

 fauna. The giant tortoise is an endangered animal and 

 all information concerning it is of significance. This 

 bibliography is intended to serve as a reference tool 

 for those interested in the giant tortoise. It 

 contains articles covering many aspects of tortoise 

 natural history. 



In obtaining material for the bibliography, I attempted 

 to include all technical and popular articles where new 

 data or insights were given. The bibliography is 

 complete through 1984. I hope this bibliography will 

 be useful in providing essential information for those 

 interested in the Galapagos giant tortoise. 



I wish to acknowledge and thank the following 

 individuals and institutions for their help in 

 compiling this bibliography. The Charles Darwin 

 Research Station and the Galapagos National Park 

 Service, gave me the opportunity to study the giant 

 tortoise in the islands. Loma Linda University 

 provided research funds. Tina Blankenship, Virginia 

 Hansen, Floyd Hayes, and Ernie Schwab reviewed the 

 manuscript and gave helpful suggestions where needed. 

 A special thanks to "Prof*' Lester E. Harris, Jr. who 

 stimulated my interest in Herpetology and who has been 

 a real inspiration. 



