Extinct Giant Tortoise Re-Discovered After 100Years!
yay! hot off the presses - a Fernandina Giant Tortoise was just found in the Galapagos archipelago! the species was thought to have been overhunted, forced out by settlers and volcanic activity over 100years ago. i hope this is not a short victory - but there are many more to be found.
welcome back girl!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0681037530.jpg
story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...s-Islands.html
Quote:
Giant tortoise species thought to have been hunted to extinction by humans more than 100 years ago found ALIVE in the Galapagos
An adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise has been discovered in the Galapagos
-- An expedition to the island of Fernandina found the animal alive and well
-- Only ten species of giant turtle are thought to have survived human colonisation
-- They were over-hunted and eaten by human settlers to the Pacific archipelago
A species of giant tortoise believed to have gone extinct more than 100 years ago has been spotted in the Galapagos Islands.
Ecuador's environment minister Marcelo Mata made the announcement that an adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise had been discovered.
Many species of giant tortoises were over-hunted for their meat by European and other colonists who travelled to the Galapagos archipelago.
The sighting came during an expedition to the island of Fernandina in the western Ecuadorian region of the archipelago.
Extinction looms large for the animal and its largest existential threat is considered to be volcanic activity and lava.
It is the youngest and most volcanically active of all the Galapagos islands.
The tortoise was found by members of the Galapagos National Park and the US NGO Galapagos Conservancy.
The Fernandina Giant Tortoise is one of 14 giant tortoise species in the Galapagos but only ten are thought to have survived human colonisation and over-hunting for food.
The female has a large body, smooth shell and a pink head but no other details have been revealed.
A tweet from Mr Mata included an image of the reptile and the only known specimen was collected in 1906.
A spokesman for Galapagos Conservancy said: 'While thought to be extinct due to volcanic eruptions in past centuries, there have been anecdotal observations indicating that there may indeed still be a very few left on the island.'
Anecdotal evidence and unconfirmed sightings have been reported ever since but it was formally listed on the IUCN red list as 'critically endangered (possibly extinct)'.
Surveys and expeditions have turned up evidence of scat previously.
'These sightings and signs, though needing verification through more extensive surveys, indicate the possibility that the species may remain extant in exceedingly small numbers,' IUCN said.
In 2015, Ecuador announced the discovery of a new species of tortoise on another island in the Galapagos, called Santa Cruz.
It was named Chelonoidis donfaustoi in honour of Fausto Llerena who took care of 'Lonesome George', a male Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdonii) and the last known individual of its species.
Lonesome George died in 2012 and scientists believe that tortoises first arrived in the Galapagos two to three million years ago after drifting 600 miles from the South American coast on vegetation rafts.
They were already large reptiles before arriving on the Islands.
Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos for five weeks on his second voyage and they appeared in his writings, playing a key role in the development of the theory of evolution.
He observed different finches on different islands but theorised they had evolved from the same species.
Differences in beak size and shape married up with the available food sources on the respective islands, birthing the theory of natural selection.
and here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/scien...nds/ar-BBTRc75
Quote:
Giant tortoise believed to be extinct for 100 years found alive in Galapagos Islands
A giant tortoise believed to have been extinct for more than a century has been found in the Galapagos Islands.
The adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise was discovered by members of the Galapagos National Park and the US NGO Galapagos Conservancy.
The group was carrying out an expedition on the island of Fernandina in the western Ecuadorian region of the Galapagos Islands.
The discovery was announced by the Ecuadorian environment minister Marcelo Mata, although no other details have been revealed yet.
The Fernandina Giant Tortoise is reportedly one of 15 giant tortoise species in the Galapagos.
In 2015, Ecuador proudly announced the discovery of a new species of tortoise on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos.
It was named Chelonoidis donfaustoi in honour of Fausto Llerena who took care of 'Lonesome George', a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of its species.
Lonesome George died in 2012, according to local media.
Scientists believe that tortoises first arrived in the Galapagos two to three million years ago after drifting 600 miles from the South American coast on vegetation rafts or of their own accord.
They were already large reptiles before arriving on the Islands.
Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos for five weeks on his second voyage and they appeared in his writings, playing a key role in the development of the theory of evolution.
:)
Re: Extinct Giant Tortoise Re-Discovered After 100Years!
Re: Extinct Giant Tortoise Re-Discovered After 100Years!
That is so rad!! What great news. In addition, they have recently re introduced an Iguana species on one of the islands that was last recorded there by Charles Darwin, so it's been a while. lol
I am always holding out hope that extinct species are located somewhere like this creature.
