Galapagos: they find a turtle that we thought was …

The Directorate of Galapagos National Park (PNG) announced on Tuesday discovery of a species of turtle thought to be extinct over a hundred years ago and that he could have parents on the island of Fernandina, the westernmost of the Ecuadorian archipelago. This possibility, the specialists celebrated, keeps the international scientific community in suspense as restore the Galapagos turtle colony, existing only in this archipelago, also known as “The Enchanted Islands”.

As detailed by PNG Director Danny Rueda, for the second semester of this year, a large expedition is planned on the island of Fernandina, since samples of turtle excrement were found there which allow us to deduce the existence of other individuals of the species found.

If the turtles are found, studies will be carried out to confirm that they belong to the species that was believed to be extinct. If the results are positive, confirmed Rueda, a program will be planned to repopulate Fernandina with this variety of turtles.

Discovery

As Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment reviewed in a statement, two years ago, a group of PNG researchers – entity attached to this State portfolio – and the Galapagos Conservancy found an adult female giant tortoise on Fernandina Island.

Later, according to the director of the Galapagos Conservancy, Washington Tapia, the specimen was transferred to the Giant Turtle Breeding Center, which PNG has on Santa Cruz Island in the center of the archipelago.

Finally, the American University of Yale conducted genetic studies and comparison of the DNA with another specimen taken from the same island in 1906. It was then that it was determined that the individual found belonged to the species “Chelonoidis phantasticus”, considered extinct more than a century ago.

The “Fernanda” turtle

“Fernanda”, as the specimen found at Fernandina is said, is a old turtle between sixty, eighty or “maybe a hundred years old”said the director of the Galapagos Conservatory, who clarified that it is difficult to calculate the age of a chelonian.

However, according to Tapia, its size is not as large as that of others who inhabit the archipelago. “The shell measures only 54 centimeters, which is a small size, compared to the larger one which can measure more than 1.5 meters in length, ”explained the expert.

At the time of the discovery, the specialist pointed out, the turtle had weight issues, which could be resolved later during captivity. Currently, Tapia celebrated, he has managed to increase his volume and is in good health.

Repopulate the island

After the appearance of Fernanda, the researchers hope to find other individuals of the same species and start a program of captive breeding to repopulate the original island.

“One of the biggest mysteries in the Galapagos has been the giant tortoise on Fernandina Island. The rediscovery of this lost species may have happened just in time to save it.“said James Gibbs, vice president of science and conservation for the same NGO.” Now we urgently need to finish the search to find more turtles, ”he added.

Galapagos giant tortoise populations were devastated in the 19th century due to exploitation by whalers and buccaneers, although they can also be affected by volcanic eruptions. The last specimen of the species “Chelonoidis phantasticus” was found in 1906 by an expedition from the California Academy of Sciences.

The Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean about a thousand kilometers west of the mainland coast of Ecuador, were declared in 1978 as Natural heritage of humanity by Unesco, thanks to its rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity, which is home to many unique species in the world.

This archipelago, whose name is due to the giant tortoises that inhabit it, is made up of 13 large islands, 6 smaller ones and 42 islets, and is considered a natural laboratory which allowed the English scientist Charles Darwin to develop his theory on evolution and nature selection of the species.