23 Feb 2019

Giant tortoise feared extinct found on remote Galapagos island

1:11 pm on 23 February 2019

A living tortoise from a species not seen in more than 110 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote part of the Galapagos island of Fernandina.

This photo release by the Galapagos National Park, shows a Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise at the Galapagos National Park in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019.

The newly rediscovered Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise at the Galapagos National Park. Photo: AP

An adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, was spotted on Sunday by a joint expedition of the Galapagos National Park and the U.S.-based Galapagos Conservancy, Ecuador's Environment Ministry said in a statement.

Investigators think there may be more members of the species on the island because of tracks and scat they found.

The team took the tortoise, likely more than 100 years old, to a breeding centre for giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island, another island in the Galapagos archepelago, where it will stay in a specially designed pen.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has the Fernandina Giant Tortoise listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

The only other living member of the species was found in 1906, the group said. Since then, expeditions have encountered tortoise scat and bite marks on cacti, and there was a possible unconfirmed sighting in 2009. But this week's discovery was the first confirmed sighting, and together with the possibility of finding more members of the species has raised the possibility of breeding.

This photo released by the Galapagos National Park shows a Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise at the Galapagos National Park in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019.

The tortoise was found under a bush on a remote volcanic island in the Galapagos National Park. Photo: AP

"They will need more than one, but females may store sperm for a long time," said Stuart Pimm, a professor of conservation ecology at Duke University. "There may be hope."

Fernandina is the third largest Galapagos island and features the La Cumbre volcano, one of the most active in the world. The archipelago lies in the Pacific Ocean about 1000km off Ecuador's mainland.

In listing the Fernandina tortoise as possibly extinct, the conservation group said on its website that the species may have succumbed to "the frequent volcanic lava flows that nearly cover the island".

The Galapagos archipelago hosts unique species and wildlife whose characteristics helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The Environment Ministry said the expedition was financed by Animal Planet for its series Extinct or Alive.

- AP

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