CLOSE A rare Galápagos tortoise species believed to to be extinct for a century was found on Santa Cruz Island. Researchers believe the species may exist in greater numbers. USA TODAY

A rare species of giant tortoise was feared extinct after over 100 years without any sightings on the Galápagos Islands. But now, officials say they've found one.

An adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise, or Chelonoidis phantasticus, possibly older than 100, was found on Fernandina Island, Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment said in a statement Wednesday.

The species is unique to Fernandina Island, one of the more than a dozen islands in the famous archipelago known for its biodiversity that helped fuel Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in the 1800s.

Officials with the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, a collaboration between the Galápagos National Park Directorate and Galápagos Conservancy, a U.S. non-profit dedicated to conservation on the islands, and Animal Planet's "Extinct or Alive" series said they made the discovery Sunday.

This photo release by the Galapagos National Park, shows a Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise at the Galapagos National Park in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. Park rangers and the Galapagos Conservancy found the tortoise, a species that was thought to have become extinct one hundred years ago. (Photo: Andres Morales, AP)

The animal was found in good health but underweight and was transported to a breeding center on Santa Cruz Island. Genetic tests will be needed to confirm officials' belief that the tortoise is of the species unique to Fernandina, the environment ministry said.

"This encourages us to strengthen our search plans to find other turtles, which will allow us to start a breeding program in captivity to recover this species," said Danny Rueda, director of the Galápagos National Park.

Officials also said it's possible more individuals of the species are still alive.

Biologist Forrest Galante, host of the Animal Planet show which funded the expedition, called it one of the biggest discoveries on the islands in the last 100 years.

"As a biologist and someone who has dedicated my life to the pursuit of animals believed extinct, this is by far my greatest scientific accomplishment and proudest moment," he said in a statement.

A member of Galapagos Conservancy transports the giant Galapagos tortoise Chelonoidis phantasticus, thought to have gone extinct about a century ago. (Photo: RODRIGO BUENDIA, AFP/Getty Images)

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The rare tortoise species was believed to have been threatened by lava flows on the volcanic island, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

The last confirmed sighting was in 1906, but signs that the species may still be alive had been found since, giving researchers hope.

In 1964, large tortoise scats and bite marks on a cactus were spotted and, in 2013, scat and footprints were found, according to the IUCN Red List, the comprehensive list of engendered species around the globe. An unconfirmed sighting may have occurred in 2009, the organization also says.

The species had been officially listed as "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)" under the Red List's classifications.

Named for their giant tortoises, the Galápagos Islands was home to many unique species of the reptiles. Human exploitation and threats from invasive species have endangered some species and caused others to go extinct, according to the Galápagos Conservancy.

Today, only two groups of giant tortoises remain around the world – those on the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean and others on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, the Galápagos Conservancy says.

The Galápagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are part of Ecuador and roughly 600 miles off its coast.

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A specimen of the giant Galapagos tortoise Chelonoidis phantasticus, thought to have gone extint about a century ago, is seen at the Galapagos National Park on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Archipelago. (Photo: RODRIGO BUENDIA, AFP/Getty Images)

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/02/20/galapagos-rare-tortoise-species-considered-extinct-until-now/2930134002/</s>A living member of species of tortoise not seen in more than 110 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote part of the Galápagos island of Fernandina.

An adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the Fernandina giant tortoise, was spotted on Sunday by a joint expedition of the Galapagos National Park and the US-based Galapagos Conservancy, Ecuador’s environment ministry said.

Investigators think there may be more members of the species on the island because of tracks and scat they found. The team took the tortoise, which is probably more than 100 years old, to a breeding centre for giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island, where it will stay in a specially designed pen.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has the Fernandina giant tortoise listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

The only other living member of the species was found in 1906, the group said. Since then, expeditions have encountered tortoise scat and bite marks on cacti, and there was a possible unconfirmed sighting in 2009. But Sunday’s discovery was the first confirmed sighting and together with the possibility of finding more members of the species has raised the possibility of breeding.

“They will need more than one, but females may store sperm for a long time,” said Stuart Pimm, a professor of conservation ecology at Duke University. “There may be hope.”

Fernandina is the third largest Galapagos island and features the La Cumbre volcano, one of the most active in the world. The archipelago lies in the Pacific Ocean about 620 miles (1,000km) off Ecuador’s mainland.

In listing the Fernandina tortoise as possibly extinct, the conservation group said on its website that the species may have succumbed to “the frequent volcanic lava flows that nearly cover the island”.

The Galapagos archipelago hosts unique species and wildlife whose characteristics helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution. It was declared a Unesco world heritage site in 1979.</s>A species of large tortoise not seen since 1906 has been rediscovered on a remote part of the Galápagos Islands, kindling efforts to conserve the critically endangered animal.

She’s extremely old and a bit underweight, but she’s very much alive.

The species to which she belongs, the Fernandina Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus), was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being “critically endangered and possibly extinct,” but we now know only one of those two claims is correct.

An adult female estimated to be more than 100 years old was spotted this past Sunday, February 17, on Fernandina, the third largest of the Galápagos Islands, reports the Associated Press. Galápagos National Park and Galápagos Conservancy took part in the expedition to relocate the tortoise, as did Animal Planet, which funded the search. Forrest Galante, a biologist and host of the Animal Planet show Extinct or Alive, took part in the joint expedition, and was assisted by two scientists, including a Galápagos National Park Ranger.

A Fernandina Giant Tortoise hadn’t been seen since a dead male was found in 1906, leading to fears the species had gone extinct. Fernandina Island features an active volcano named La Cumbre, and conservationists feared the species had completely collapsed due to the frequent lava flows that cover most of the island.

“The reason no sightings have been made is that Fernandina is an extremely sparse, remote, and harsh environment, more or less completely inaccessible to most people,” Galante told Gizmodo. “Additionally, no one from the Galápagos national parks really believed in its existence so no resources were put forward to look for the animal. Fortunately, myself and the two scientists I went with still held out hope, and that led to the finding of a super small isolated patch of suitable habitat and eventually the animal.”

Galante and his crew had spent two days surveying the island, and the team crossed a 3-mile stretch of a solidified lava flow to reach an area previously identified as a suitable habitat for the tortoise.

“The tortoise was found sheltering from the equatorial sun, buried deep under a pile of brush,” according to a statement Animal Planet sent to Gizmodo. “A huge celebration ensued as all parties involved were able to positively identify the animal in question as an older female C. Phantasticus based on shell morphology and facial characteristics.”

Described as being in “good health” but “underweight,” the tortoise was living in a volcanic area with sparse vegetation. She’s about half to two-thirds the size of the dead male found in 1906, according to Anders Rhodin of the Turtle Conservancy and IUCN specialist group, who was quoted in the Animal Planet statement.

The tortoise was relocated to Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center, a national park facility on Santa Cruz Island of the Galápagos. She’s now living in a specially designed enclosure. Tortoise conservationists would very much like to find a suitable mate to propagate the critically endangered species, and they’re hopeful, given the discovery of tortoise scat and track marks on Fernandina Island.



“The center she is at is an excellent facility with a great track record,” Galante told Gizmodo. “Now that we have found the C. Phantasticus and given that signs of a second animal on the island are substantial, a return trip, properly financed with a large number of scientists can take place to locate a male.”

To that end, the Turtle Conservancy and Global Wildlife Conservation are pledging a maximum $100,000 matching donation to fund further conservation efforts.</s>
• The Fernandina tortoise, thought to be extinct for over 100 years, has been found in the Galapagos islands.
• The adult female individual of the Chelonoidis phantasticus species was found by an expedition led by the Galapagos Parks authority and the Galapagos Conservancy group.
• There has only ever been one previous confirmed sighting of the species, which was back in 1906.
• The Fernandina tortoise was subsequently thought to be extinct due to volcanic eruptions over the centuries.

A species of giant tortoise thought to be extinct for over a hundred years has been found on the Galapagos island of Fernandina, according to Ecuador's government.

An adult female individual of the appropriately named Chelonoidis phantasticus was found by an expedition led by the Galapagos Parks authority and the Galapagos Conservancy group, the environment minister Marcelo Mata said.

In a post on Twitter, he added a photograph of the large tortoise, which has a relatively smooth shell and a pale pink snout.

There has only ever been one previous confirmed sighting of the species, which is also known as the Fernandina Island tortoise, a single individual was collected from the island as a specimen in 1906 during a huge expedition by the California Academy of Sciences.

During the 18-month trip, 78,000 specimens were taken from the archipelago and brought the academy in San Francisco where they have formed the basis for vast amounts of research.

But the Fernandina tortoise, which was already very rare, was subsequently thought to be extinct due to volcanic eruptions over the centuries.

Fernandina is the youngest island in the Galapagos archipelago and remains the most volcanically active.

Despite the indications that the tortoise was extinct "there have been anecdotal observations indicating that there may indeed still be a very few left on the island", according to the Galapagos Conservancy website.

A 2015 assessment by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published in 2017 listed the species as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)".

"Fernandina habitat is largely dry xeric brushland at lower elevations, but much of that habitat has been destroyed by extensive recent lava flows," the IUCN said.

"The single distinctive holotype of the species, a large male and the only Fernandina tortoise ever collected, was found alive in 1906 by Rollo Beck of the California Academy of Sciences. No other Fernandina tortoises have been documented since, but in 1964 helicopter-assisted surveys of remote areas on Fernandina documented several large tortoise scats and a few Opuntia cactus pads with tortoise bite marks at a location 6 km from the shore at an altitude of 360m.

"In 2009 an airplane survey of the inaccessible higher-altitude mesic forest habit surrounding the central volcano cone yielded a possible unconfirmed sighting of a tortoise.

"In 2013, during vegetation monitoring, a scat and some footprints were found," the IUCN said, adding: "These sightings and signs, though needing verification through more extensive surveys, indicate the possibility that the species may remain extant in exceedingly small numbers."

At least 14 species of giant tortoise once lived on nine of the Galapagos islands, all differing in size and shell shape. Today, only ten species living on six islands remain.</s>RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/Getty Images(FAIRFAX, Va.) — A species of tortoise thought by scientists to be extinct for more than 100 years were actually hiding in plain sight on a remote Galapagos island.

The Galapagos Conservancy, a Fairfax, Virginia-based organization dedicated to the long-term protection of the Galapagos Islands, wrote on Twitter Wednesday that one of its employees had just returned from Fernandina Island, where he spotted a female adult Chelonoidis phantasticus, describing the discovery as a “monumental finding.”

Before the female was found, the species of tortoise was believed to have been “lost” for 112 years, according to The Search for Lost Species. The tortoise has only ever been found on Fernandina Island, the “youngest and least-explored of the Galapagos Islands,” according to the organization.

But, the website alluded to the chance that the species may be “holding on,” citing tortoise droppings that were found during an expedition in 1964 and a fly-over of the island in 2009, where people on board “reported sightings of something tortoise-like from the air.”

Experts believe more species may be on the island due to findings of tracks and scat.</s>A giant tortoise species thought to be extinct for a century has been found on an island that's part of the Galápagos archipelago.

A female Chelonoidis Phantasticus that is more than 100 years old was discovered Sunday during a joint expedition between Ecuadorian officials and a U.S. conservation group on Fernandina Island.

"For the Galápagos, it really is perhaps the most important find in the last century," Washington Tapia, a scientist at Galápagos Conservancy, told CBS News.

The tortoise has been moved to a breeding facility on Santa Cruz Island. If a male tortoise is found, researchers will attempt to breed them in captivity to protect the species.

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Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.</s>A tortoise thought to be extinct for 113 years has been rediscovered on a remote volcanic island in the Galapagos.

The amazing reptile find was made earlier this week during an Animal Planet expedition led by biologist and “Extinct of Alive” host Forrest Galante. The Fernandina Tortoise, which was thought to have become extinct in 1906, was spotted on February 17. It's presently known how old the tortoise is.

“Having positively identified tortoise scat in the field, the team led by Galante successfully located an active bedding site before finding the animal nearby,” explained Animal Planet, in a statement. “The tortoise was found sheltering from the equatorial sun, buried deep under a pile of brush.”

THE FASCINATING SEX LIFE OF JONATHAN, THE 185-YEAR-OLD GIANT TORTOISE

Photos and video of the reptile were sent to biologists at the Turtle Conservancy and she was identified as a female Chelonoidis phantasticus, or Fernandina Tortoise.

"Since only one other specimen of this species has ever been found (a deceased male collected in 1906), we have never seen a female of the species," said Anders Rhodin of the Turtle Conservancy, in the statement. "The photos from the team clearly show a moderately saddle-backed, old female about half to two-thirds the size of the known male. Pending genetic confirmation, this is almost undoubtedly the lost Fernandina Giant Tortoise."

The tortoise is described as being in good health, but underweight. Wildlife experts have taken the animal to a breeding center on Isla Santa Cruz in the Galapagos archipelago. The Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center has successfully bred and released 4,000 Galapagos tortoises and experts hope that the rediscovered tortoise may one day be able to breed.

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“This facility will ensure her ongoing survival, a healthy diet and perhaps, if sperm retention has occurred, fertile eggs and offspring,” explained Animal Planet, in its statement. “The hope is that her discovery will prompt new searches and ongoing funding for the location of a suitable mate with the ultimate goal of re-releasing many healthy animals back onto the island.”

The discovery marks a stark contrast to the sad fate of Lonesome George, a giant Galapagos tortoise whose failed efforts to produce offspring made him a symbol of disappearing species. Lonesome George, who was believed to be the last living member of the Pinta island subspecies, died at the Fausto Llerena Center in 2012.

ALBINO BABY TURTLE BORN WITH HEART OUTSIDE ITS BODY

Various mates had been provided for Lonesome George after he was found in 1972, in what proved unsuccessful attempts to keep his subspecies alive.

Set against this backdrop, experts are thrilled with the rediscovery of the female Fernandina Tortoise. “As a biologist and someone who has dedicated my life to the pursuit of animals believed extinct, this is by far my greatest scientific accomplishment and proudest moment,” said Galante, in the statement. “Much like Lonesome George was an icon of extinction, I believe she can become an icon of wildlife hope. She’s the rarest tortoise, if not animal, in the entire world and one of the largest discoveries in the Galapagos in the last century.”

Galante’s expedition to the Galapagos and the discovery of the ‘extinct’ tortoise will be featured in an episode of “Extinct or Alive” in summer 2019.

Tortoises have been in the spotlight in recent years. Jonathan, the famous giant tortoise who resides on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena, made headlines in 2017 when the Times reported that Frederica, the tortoise he had been “wooing” for 26 years, may actually be a ‘Frederic’.

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Jonathan, who is about 186 years old, is believed to be the world’s oldest living land animal.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers</s>A species of tortoise thought by scientists to be extinct for more than 100 years were actually hiding in plain sight on a remote Galapagos island.</s>A rare species of giant tortoise not seen in 113 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote island in the Galapagos.

An adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise, or Chelonoidis phantasticus, possibly more than 100 years old, was found on Fernandina Island by a joint expedition of the Galapagos National Park and the U.S.-based Galapagos Conservancy, Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment said in a statement Wednesday.

The team of conservationists took the tortoise to a breeding center for giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island where it will stay in a specially designed pen. According to the environment ministry, genetic tests will be needed to confirm officials’ belief that the tortoise is of the species unique to Fernandina.

“This encourages us to strengthen our search plans to find other turtles, which will allow us to start a breeding program in captivity to recover this species,” said Danny Rueda, director of the Galapagos National Park.

The Fernandina Giant Tortoise is unique to Fernandina Island, one of the Galapagos Islands, located about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its biodiversity that helped fuel Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in the 1800s.

Investigators think there may actually be more members of the species on the island due to the presence of tracks and scat on the island.

The Fernandina Giant Tortoise was listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which said the species might have been threatened by lava flows on the volcanic island.

The last confirmed sighting of the tortoise was in 1906, but researchers were hopeful that the species may still be alive when large tortoise scats and bite marks on a cactus were spotted in 1964, and scat and footprints were found in 2013, according to the IUCN.

According to the Galapagos Conservancy, only two groups of giant tortoises remain around the world – those on the Galapagos Islands and others on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean.
• Conservationists Capture Rare Footage of Giant Pangolins in the Wild
• ‘Astonishing’ New Tarantula With Bizarre Horn On its Back Discovered in Angola</s>SYDNEY (DPA) - A giant tortoise believed extinct for over 100 years has been discovered on the Galapagos island of Fernandina, Ecuador's environment minister said late on Tuesday (Feb 19).

An adult female specimen of the Chelonoidis Phantasticus species was found by an expedition led by the Galapagos Parks authority and the Galapagos Conservancy group, Marcelo Mata wrote in a tweet reposted by the two organisations.

The minister said that the animal had been believed extinct for over 100 years, but did not provide any further details.

According to Galapagos Conservancy, the only known specimen of Chelonoidis Phantasticus, commonly known as Fernandina Island tortoise, "was collected during the California Academy of Sciences expedition in April 1906."

"While thought to be extinct due to volcanic eruptions in past centuries, there have been anecdotal observations indicating that there may indeed still be a very few left on the island," the group wrote on its website.

An assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published in 2017 listed the species as "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)."

Surveys of remote areas on Fernandina Island in 1964 "documented several large tortoise scats" and some tortoise bite marks, while a 2009 airplane survey "yielded a possible unconfirmed sighting of a tortoise," IUCN said. Scats and footprints were also found in 2013.

"These sightings and signs, though needing verification through more extensive surveys, indicate the possibility that the species may remain extant in exceedingly small numbers," IUCN said.

Including the Chelonoidis Phantasticus, there are 12 species of Galapagos tortoise, one for each of the major islands of the Galapagos archipelago, which was made a Unesco World Heritage site in 1979.
One surviving female specimen of the Fernandina Galápagos tortoise species, which was thought to be extinct for more than 100 years, is found.