They found in Ecuador a giant tortoise considered extinct a century ago.

A copy of one of the endemic species of giant tortoises of the Ecuadorian Archipelago of Galapagos, considered extinct a century ago, was found during an expedition on Fernandina Island, announced Tuesday the Minister of the Environment, Marcelo Mata.

Authorities said it was "an adult woman who can exceed 100 years", of the species Chelonoidis Phantasticus. The discovery was made by staff from the Galapagos National Park (PNG) and the American NGO Galapagos Conservancy, which supports the preservation of the Ecuadorian Pacific Islands.

The Chelonoidis phantasticus, typical of the Fernandina Island, is one of the 15 giant turtle species of the Galapagos, whose species of Chelonoidis spp (Santa Fe Island) and abigdoni (Pinta) have already disappeared.

The specimen was transported by boat from Fernandina, located west of the archipelago, to the giant tortoise breeding center of Santa Cruz, in which will remain in the custody of park rangers, in a pen specially set up for your stay.

Jeffeys Málaga and Washington Tapia, who made this discovery, believe that it is possible the existence of more individuals in Fernandina, because They found footprints and feces in other parts of the island, separated by lava flows from recent eruptions..

In 2015, Ecuador announced the discovery of a new species of turtle in the archipelago, known for its unique flora and fauna in the world. The variety was calling Chelonoidis donfaustoi, in the honor of Fausto Llerena, who took care of the & # 39;Solitaire George& # 39; last copy of Chelonoidis abigdoni.

"George", emblem of the island province located 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador and named after the giant tortoises Galapagos, died in 2012 after refusing to mate in captivity with females of the related subspecies.

However, scientists have found hybrids containing genes of this extinct variety. The Galapagos National Park (PNG) is therefore considering repopulating the island of Pinta with unspecified turtles of the 'George' species, dead from old age (it is estimated that there at 90).

Galapagos is part of the biosphere reserve and served to British naturalist Charles Darwin to develop the theory on the evolution of species. Galapagos turtles have genetic variants related to DNA repair, with a healing power that allows them to live long, according to PNG.

Giant tortoises arrived three or four million years ago in the volcanic region of Galapagos. Marine currents are thought to have scattered their specimens around the islands, and it is thus that 15 different species have been created – two of which are currently extinct -, each adapted to its territory. The other place in the world where another species of giant land tortoise survives is Aldabra Island in the Indian Ocean.

(With information from AFP)