Far removed in scale from the pet turtle species people keep, one remarkable Galápagos giant tortoise (chelonoidis nigra) secured a spot in the "Guinness Book of World Records" for size.

Born among the Seychelles' sand dunes, the tortoise has been unveiled as the Official Mascot for the forthcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Female tortoises are quite impressive, weighing in at around 250 pounds. But males can easily double that, tipping the scales at 600 pounds or more. Until the 17th century, hundreds of thousands ...