欢迎来到 阳泉市某某投资咨询有限责任公司
全国咨询热线: 020-123456789
新闻中心
Galápagos tortoise, feared extinct, has first sighting in 100 years
  来源:阳泉市某某投资咨询有限责任公司  更新时间:2024-10-30 10:24:08

More than 100 years since it was last seen by humans, a species of giant tortoise has been found on the Galápagos island of Fernandina.

According to the government of Ecuador, an adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, more commonly known as the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, was spotted on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. This species of tortoise was last seen alive in 1906. The International Union for Conservation of Nature had previously listedthe turtle as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

The tortoise is said to be in good health, but underweight. It is believed that she is about 100 years old. According to the Turtle Conservancy, she’s “about half to two-thirds the size” of the only other Fernandina Giant Tortoise that’s ever been found, a deceased male discovered 113 years ago.

SEE ALSO:PETA criticized Google's Steve Irwin art and people are not happy

The expeditionbrought park rangers and biologists across a “three mile stretch of hardened lava flow,” where experts believed the tortoise could possibly inhabit. Led by tortoise scat, the team uncovered a bedding site and found the giant tortoise buried deep under a pile of brush, sheltering itself from the sun.

Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

The giant tortoise has been relocated to the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center on the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz.

There’s possibly more good news as well. Based on findingsof tortoise scat and track marks on Fernandina Island, there’s hope that this specific animal isn’t the only Fernandina Giant Tortoise living on the island.

The Fernandina Giant Tortoise was located through a joint effort by the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) and the U.S.-based Galápagos Conservancy’s Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative (GTRI).

The search for the tortoise on Fernandina, the third largest of the Galápagos islands, was funded by Animal Planetfor the series Extinct or Alive. The network says the episode documenting the whole expedition will premiere in summer 2019.

Funding is already being pledgedfor future expeditions to find a mate for the female tortoise that could help conserve the critically endangered species.


Featured Video For You
The beautiful creatures that went extinct in 2018

Copyright © 2024 Powered by 阳泉市某某投资咨询有限责任公司   sitemap