Galápagos Tortoise

Galápagos giant tortoises diversified into distinct forms across the archipelago, with shell shapes reflecting local ecology. Domed shells evolved on islands with lush lowland vegetation; saddleback shells (raised at the front) evolved on arid islands where tortoises must reach upward for cactus pads. Darwin noted this variation but initially failed to record which island each specimen came from.

The tortoise radiation demonstrates how even slow-reproducing organisms can diversify when isolation is complete. Giant tortoises cannot swim between islands; populations separated by water barriers evolved independently for hundreds of thousands of years. Their radiation proceeded slowly but surely, producing forms as distinctive as Darwin's finches despite generation times measured in decades rather than years.

The business parallel applies to slow-moving industries where isolation still enables differentiation. Banking, insurance, and regulated utilities evolved distinct forms in different jurisdictions despite slow rates of change. Regulatory barriers function like water barriers between islands - complete isolation allows divergence even when the underlying 'organisms' adapt slowly.

Tortoise evolution also demonstrates that extreme longevity interacts with adaptation speed. Individual tortoises can live 150+ years, meaning a tortoise born before Darwin's visit might still be alive. Long-lived entities - whether organisms or corporations - may persist through environmental changes that eliminate shorter-lived competitors, surviving on stored resources while adapting slowly to new conditions.