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Nature & Environment

'Extinct' Galapagos tortoise may still exist

By T.K. Randall
January 11, 2012 · Comment icon 4 comments

Image Credit: Wikipedia
A species of giant tortoise thought to have been extinct for 150 years could still be alive.
The tortoises were thought to have been hunted to extinction, in particular by whalers who would visit the Galapagos to re-stock. A team from Yale University however has discovered hybrid tortoises that appear to be the offspring of one of the 'extinct' Chelonoidis elephantopus tortoises along with another species of tortoise, a find that suggests that some of them must still be alive somewhere.
A giant Galapagos tortoise believed extinct for 150 years probably still exists, say scientists. Chelonoidis elephantopus lived on the island of Floreana, and was heavily hunted, especially by whalers who visited the Galapagos to re-stock.


Source: BBC News | Comments (4)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Junior Chubb 12 years ago
Great news, but the image used by UM just reminds me of Victor Meldew. Maybe the Chelonoidis elephantopus tortoises only had 'one foot in the grave'.
Comment icon #2 Posted by Device 12 years ago
So some of them survived the slaughter of years past. They must've hid in the undergrowth. Good on them and God bless them.
Comment icon #3 Posted by King Fluffs 12 years ago
Wow... those are big.
Comment icon #4 Posted by DieChecker 12 years ago
The giant tortoises are so large, growing to nearly half a tonne, that you might think the elusive C. elephantopus would be easy to find. I never noticed before, but the main island is pretty big, like 100 miles long. That would be a big tortoise...


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