Chelonoidis niger vicina

Chelonoidis niger vicina is a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise that is endemic to Isabela Island in the Galápagos. It is commonly known as the Cerro Azul giant tortoise, the Iguana Cove tortoise or the Isabela Island giant tortoise. The shell is thick and heavy, intermediate between saddle-backed and domed, and not appreciably narrowed toward the front; males are larger and more saddle-backed, while females are more domed. The population was depleted by seamen over the last 200 years and by extensive slaughter in the late 1950s and 1960s by employees of cattle companies based at Iguana Cove, and its range is thought to overlap with that of Chelonoidis niger guentheri. Until eradication programs, virtually all nests and hatchlings were destroyed by black rats, pigs, dogs and cats. A 2023 population study by the Galápagos Conservancy estimated about 5275 individuals, which would make it the third most populous subspecies, behind C. vandenburghi and C. chathamensis.