'Extinct' giant tortoise species rediscovered after over a century
A species everyone thought was gone forever just made a comeback—scientists have confirmed the Fernandina giant tortoise is still around after more than a century.
A female named Fernanda, discovered on the remote Galapagos island in 2019, turned out to be the real deal after genetic testing.
Until now, only one male from 1906 was known.
Fernanda lives in a breeding center now
Fernanda's exact age was not specified in the source, and she now lives at a breeding center after being moved because of concerns about finding and relocating her and because of the island's active volcano.
Scientists are excited because they've spotted signs that two or three more tortoises might still be hiding out on the island—so it's not game over for this species yet.
Rediscovering Fernanda gives hope for bringing her kind back
Rediscovering Fernanda gives hope for bringing her kind back from the edge—unlike Lonesome George, who was the last of his line and died without offspring.
With Galapagos tortoises down from about 250,000 historically to roughly 15,000 today (a decline of ~94%), according to the source, every new survivor feels like a win for wildlife conservation.