How to Use giant tortoise in a Sentence

giant tortoise

noun
  • The search is on for a mate for a giant tortoise thought to be extinct a century ago.
    — Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 27 May 2021
  • Both the hummingbird and the giant tortoise have an equal number of ticks.
    — Heather Lanier, Longreads, 10 Jan. 2023
  • Knits were quilted like puffa jackets and climbed the body to swallow the head like a giant tortoise shell.
    — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2017
  • Dean — an Aldabra giant tortoise, the second largest tortoise species — likes to have his shell rubbed.
    — Kathleen Christiansen, orlandosentinel.com, 25 June 2019
  • The adult giant tortoises, which can weigh up to 550 pounds, roam free on the island.
    — Nina-Sophia Miralles, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • There, rats consumed so many giant tortoise eggs that only very old reptiles remained.
    — Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 19 Sep. 2024
  • Shells of such giant tortoises were sitting next to Lewis’ pet for the kids to touch and examine.
    — Roger Showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 Feb. 2018
  • The Galapagos giant tortoise can weigh up to 550 pounds, which is as much as a brown bear.
    — Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 15 July 2024
  • Emerald-green fringed umbrellas surround the pool, and two giant tortoises roam the grounds.
    — Priyanka Mattoo, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
  • See an African lion, an Aldabra giant tortoise, Chilean flamingos, and more.
    — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2022
  • In the video, the contractor stopped in his tracks, confused about the giant tortoise slowly inching its way inside.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Lonesome George, last of his species of Galapagos giant tortoise, died.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2012
  • Since then, the giant tortoise has lived through 40 US presidents.
    — Richard Stenger, CNN, 10 Feb. 2022
  • Together, these islands are home to 14 distinct species of giant tortoise.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 June 2022
  • Researchers in the Seychelles have filmed a giant tortoise hunting and devouring a tern chick in a single gulp.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2021
  • Is photographing the giant tortoises of Aldabra Atoll on your bucket list?
    — Susan Hack, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2017
  • Life truly has been a marathon for Jonathan, a giant tortoise that holds the title of the oldest living land animal.
    — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2022
  • Image Most of the animals are cats and dogs, along with rabbits, chickens, lizards, a few goats and pigs, and a giant tortoise.
    — Amy Graff, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
  • In the case of the giant tortoise, its hunting behavior seems to be a collision of ecological quirks.
    — Matt Simon, Wired, 23 Aug. 2021
  • But even though giant tortoises are known for their exceptionally long lives, they may be outranked by an elusive creature of the deep.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Among its rare and exclusive wildlife are giant tortoises, marine iguanas, penguins, finches, crakes, and species of mice found nowhere else in the world.
    — Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2020
  • Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is believed, at 185 years old, to be the oldest reptile on earth.
    — Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2017
  • For the first time, researchers in the Seychelles documented a giant tortoise stalking and eating a young tern chick.
    — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Aug. 2021
  • News of the Seychelles giant tortoise's demise spread rapidly on social media on Wednesday.
    — ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • News of the Seychelles giant tortoise’s demise spread rapidly on social media on Wednesday.
    — CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The confusion began after a post on X falsely claimed the giant tortoise had died at age 193.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Hike to the highest point in the archipelago, see giant tortoises and lemurs on private islands, and tour fruit farms with serene mountain vistas.
    — AFAR Media, 23 May 2025
  • Efforts to stop the trains and save Clyde went into motion after a passenger spotted the giant tortoise on tracks while riding in a train.
    — People Staff, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2022
  • Our next stop was the breeding sanctuary of the Aldabra giant tortoise, which is funded by the Four Seasons.
    — Marcia Desanctis, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2023
  • In 2019, scientists found on the island a giant tortoise not seen in more than a century and had been feared extinct.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'giant tortoise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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