Extinct? Dead Wrong! Galapagos Turtle Species Rediscovered 115 Years After Dying Out thewestsidegazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewestsidegazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Archyde
May 26, 2021 by archyde
Ecuador confirmed Tuesday, after DNA analyzes, that the giant tortoise discovered in 2019 in the Galapagos archipelago does indeed belong to a species that experts have believed to be extinct for more than a century.
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It was believed to be extinct for over 100 years! We have confirmed its existence. The tortoise of the species Chelonoidis phantasticus was discovered in #Galapagos“, tweeted the Minister of the Environment, Gustavo Marique.
In order to precisely determine its species, a team of geneticists from the American University of Yale compared the DNA of this female turtle found on Fernandina Island with that of a male, the last to have been recorded in the Galapagos in 1906. This specimen is now a museum piece and belongs to the California Academy of Sciences.