Cate Reilly, Legend of the Galápagos (ANIMALS 2026)

A portrait of the critically endangered tortuga gigante del oeste de Santa Cruz (Chelonoidis niger porteri), aka the western Santa Cruz giant tortoise. I was sitting, quietly observing this guy – more than 3 metres away and off to his side so I was out of his line of sight – when he turned his head and saw me. He immediately (if very slowly) hauled himself to his feet and lumbered toward me, stopping just out of reach. He spent a long time sizing me up with those intelligent, ancient-looking eyes. Apparently, there’s a legend in the Galápagos. If you stare into a giant tortoise’s eyes, it can see into your soul and knows your intentions. Isla Santa Cruz, January 2026

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.