Galapagos researchers find one species ‘extinct’ tortoises is no long “extinct”
Apparently “Lonesome George” is not so lonesome any more! According to a USA Today story, scientists in the Galapagos national park have now located some 84 additional giant tortoises on Isabella Island. which, according to DNA studies, are the same species as “Lonesome George.”
Whalers decimated the Floreana Island population of tortoises in the years after naturalist Charles Darwin made his famous voyage in 1835. Each ship harvested hundreds of the giant tortoises which were stored live as a source of fresh meat. Researchers speculate that some escaped from the ships and made their way to Isabela, where their descendants now survive. Researchers eventually hope to resettle them back on their native island, notes the Los Angeles Times.