Vision Forum Ministries’ new film, The Mysterious Islands, features beautiful footage of Galapagos tortoises in the wild. On islands like Santa Cruz, the giant tortoise of the Galapagos roams free through the outback. It can be found in open fields, under bushes, and in the waterways. Often found near the giant tortoise is the little finch. These two unlikely partners engage in mutualism, a form of “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” relationship. Whenever the tortoise needs to be cleaned of bugs, it just stands up. The finches come and eat the bothersome insects. the finch gets a meal, and the tortoise a nice cleaning.
In the 19th century, many of the tortoises in the Galapagos were killed or taken on board sailing vessels to feed the crew. The tortoises could stay alive for six months without food, and thus they provided fresh meat for the sailors and helped prevent scurvy. The sailors would even drink the water out of the bladders of the tortoises. So many were taken from the islands that the tortoise population neared extinction.