Believed to be extinct, giant tortoise was rediscovered in Galapagos

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The Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus, or “fantastic giant tortoise”) was known only from a single specimen, collected in 1906. The discovery in 2019 of a female tortoise living on Fernandina Island provided the opportunity to determine if the species lives on.

By sequencing the genomes of both the living individual and the museum specimen, and comparing them to the other 13 species of Galápagos giant tortoises, Princeton’s Stephen Gaughran showed that the two known Fernandina tortoises are members of the same species, genetically distinct from all others.

“For many years it was thought that the original specimen collected in 1906 had been transplanted to the island, as it was the only one of its kind,” said Peter Grant, Princeton’s Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology. “It now seems to be one of a very few that were alive a century ago.”

Since its 1906 discovery, the survival of the Fernandina tortoise has remained an open question for biologists. 

“Fernandina is the highest of the Galápagos islands, geologically young, and is mainly a huge pile of jagged blocks of brown lava; Rosemary and I once climbed to the top,” said Grant, referring to his wife and research partner Rosemary Grant, an emeritus senior research biologist at Princeton.

“At lower elevations, the vegetation occurs in island-like clumps in a sea of recently congealed lava. Fernanda was found in one of these, and there is evidence that a few relatives may exist in others.”

Scientists estimate that Fernanda is well over 50 years old. Encouragingly, recent tracks and scat of at least 2 or 3 other tortoises were found during other recent expeditions on the island.

Source - https://www.princeton.edu/news/2022/06/09/fantastic-giant-tortoise-believed-extinct-confirmed-alive-galapagos

[RudraCNG 15,506]

She really said

[River 127,343]

so cute

I remember when I was a kid, a turtle sh-tted on me, it was all white and disgusting

[Dr Fudge 8,674]

To think Ted did THAT 

[weed 78,889]

He IS a fantastic giant tortoise 

[Suuus 5,632]

i know its a turtoise but sorry i had too

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2 hours ago, Suuus said:

i know its a turtoise but sorry i had too

I actually didn't know they were different.

[HotLikeMexico 6,535]

3 hours ago, River said:

so cute

I remember when I was a kid, a turtle sh-tted on me, it was all white and disgusting

Scat Queen

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Also on the topic of conservation

 

[migamiga 12,102]

million reasons when gaga starts performing it again for the us leg