Location:

Next to Chacoan Peccaries
Mary & Mopey are on left side - Volcan Darwin Tortoises.
Lola, Elvis, and Bella are on right side - Iguana Cove Tortoises.

Mary is curious and social. She has a smoother shell than Junior & Mopey. She weighs around 200 lbs.
Mopey is the largest of the Volcan Darwin Tortoises, weighing over 400 lbs.
Lola weighs about 200 lbs.
Elivs is around 550 lbs.
Bella is between 250 and 300 lbs.

Mary & Mopey were both hatched in the wild, so exact age is unknown.
Mary was imported from Ecuador in 1957, brought to Phx Zoo in December 1961.
Mary was purchased from Jack Adams, Alligator Farm, Mesa, AZ in 1961
Mopey transferred trom the Bronx Zoo to the Philly Zoo in 1946, then transferred to Ellen Trout Zoo in Brownsville, TX in 2005. He arrived in Phoenix in 2014.
Junior was hatched at the Phx Zoo. He was oldest offspring of Mary and Ralph. He transferred to the Houston Zoo in late 2022.
Lola is from a private owner, on loan at the Phx Zoo. She arrived in 2014.
Elvis was hatched in the wild and purchaed from a broker in 1966 and taken from Galapagos Island. Originaly housed at the Oklahoma City Zoo; sent to El Paso in 1991; arrived at Phx Zoo in 2016.
Bella is from the Nashville Zoo, here on breeding loan with Elvis. She arrived summer 2021.
Elvis & Bella had a baby hatch in June 2023. This was their first!

Mary's right eye was damaged a long time ago and she cannot see well out of it. When reaching for food she may reach 6-8 inches to the left because her visual perception is off. Mary had 13 offspring with Ralph. She has had several offspring with Mopey, the most recent hatching on 8/29/2022.
Mopey is very shy and will tuck his head in at human movements.
The common name for Lola's subspecies is the Iguana Cove Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra vicina).
Elvis, the tortoise Lola is paired with, is also a vicina subspecies.
In the last two years, we have had 2 Cerro Zaul giant tortosie hatchlings- the first AZA hatchlings in about 30 years! This is an incredibly rare species of Galapagos tortoise in managed settings with only 13 total animals, including the two youngsters hatched over the last two years from Elvis and Bella.
Each yard has a room with overhead heaters that are on in cold weather.

Hatchling of Elvis & Bella (June 2023)

More Info about Galapagos Tortoises:

Thought to have floated 600 miles from S. America to Galapagos Islands 2-3 million years ago
Example of Island Giantism
Feed on grass, leaves, and cactus (zoo diet includes cactus, lettuce, and other veggies)
Nap/bask in the sun nearly 16 hours per day
Males average 500 lbs and females 250 lbs
Slow metabolism and large internal stores of water mean they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking
Extremely long lifespans
Shell filled with air pockets so animal can carry shell