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.

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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