Supposedly Extinct Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species Confirmed to Have Resurfaced in the Island

Ecuador has confirmed that a huge tortoise discovered in the Galápagos Islands in 2019 belongs to a species that was thought to be extinct a century ago.

In an effort to rescue the giant tortoises, the Galápagos national park is planning an expedition to find more of them.

Expedition

During a joint expedition between the Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Conservancy two years ago, the turtle was discovered on Fernandina Island, one of the archipelago's youngest and most pristine islands.

Yale University scientists later recognized it as the Chelonoidis phantasticus species, which had been thought to be extinct for more than a century.

"The results of genetic research and the respective DNA comparison that was done with a specimen collected in 1906 were released by Yale University," the Galápagos Park stated in a statement.

Related Article: Why is the Galapagos Archipelago Extremely Ecologically Rich?

Tortoises

Many kinds of tortoises reside with flamingos, boobies, albatrosses, and cormorants, a family of aquatic birds, on the Galápagos Islands, which served as the inspiration for British scientist Charles Darwin's theory of species evolution in the 19th century.

It also protects a huge number of endangered species of flora and animals.

"It was thought to be extinct more than a century ago! On his Twitter account, the environment minister, Gustavo Manrique, stated, "We have reconfirmed its presence."

According to statistics from the Galápagos national park, the current number of giant tortoises of diverse kinds is believed to be 60,000.

Lonesome George

One famous tortoise was known as "Lonesome George," a male Pinta Island tortoise who died in 2012 without leaving any progeny and was the least known species.

Discovering the Female

During a 2019 excursion to Fernandina Island, the lone female was discovered.

Scientists compared samples from the female to the bones of a male from the Chelonoidis phantasticus species to confirm the relationship.

The last time the species has been seen was in 1906.

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Studying the Species

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences discovered the discovery while sailing to the Galápagos Islands to comprehensively assess the islands' flora and fauna.

They transferred the male specimen to the academy's herpetology department, and geneticists from Yale University used samples to confirm, 115 years later, that the female discovered in 2019 is definitely a Chelonoidis phantasticus known as Fernandina gigantic tortoise.

The female Fernandina giant tortoise, thought to be over 100 years old, is housed at a Santa Cruz Island breeding center.

On Fernandina Island, scientists discovered prints and feces that they believe suggest that the species still exists in the wild.

Danny Rueda, the Director of the Galapagos National Park, has announced that an expedition to Fernandina Island would be conducted in the hopes of finding further members of the same species.

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