Galápagos Tortoise Feared Extinct for 112 Years Needs a Mate to Help Save Species On 5/26/21 at 8:50 AM EDT Scientists have found a living relative of a species of tortoise long thought to have been extinct. It has raised hopes the species could be revived if researchers can find a mate for the animal—a female Giant Tortoise discovered on Fernandina Island in Ecuador, which is part of the Galápagos Islands. The tortoise, named Fern, was discovered in 2019 by researchers at the Galápagos National Park Directoriate (GNPD) and Galápagos Conservancy. Read more At that time, they had assumed Fern was related to the Fernandina Giant Tortoise species—the last example of which was recorded 112 years ago. But they needed evidence.