Named Fernanda, the nearly 100-year-old female giant tortoise was found in the Galápagos. The extinction of its species was decreed just over a century ago, but this specimen lives isolated on the Fernandina Island of Galápagos, in an extreme location, formed by lava. Check out more information about the now non-extinct giant tortoise found in the Galapagos below.
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Fernanda has been living in isolation for 100 years in a very inhospitable environment: a lava prison on Fernandina Island. Even with constant volcanic activity, this nearly century-old turtle remains alive. However, due to the diet limited by the habitat, she is a little smaller than the other documented females, having a 54cm hoof. Despite territorial and nutritional limitations, it remains the only specimen of its species, Chelonoidis phantasticus.
The last specimen of the species was documented by the California Academy of Sciences in 1906. With Fernanda's discovery, scientists are hopeful about the likelihood of finding another one of these turtles. The expectation is to locate a male and another female this time, with the intention of repopulating the island.
For biological reasons, there must be genetic variability, so that there are no successive crossings between siblings and close relatives and, with that, genetic problems arise. Therefore, with at least one more female, it is possible to increase the variety of genes circulating in the population.
Washington Tapia is the leader of the expedition of 7 scientists responsible for finding Fernanda. According to the scientist, they had been on an expedition to the island for four days. The process was very difficult, after all, they could only enter the west zone by helicopter. On the last day of the visit, by chance, they went to the coral to assess the vegetation.
The scientist claims that, to reach the study site, they needed to cross a 5km ring of dry lava. When going this way, they located Fernanda. After that, she was transported to the Giant Turtle Breeding Center, isolated for a few days and, little by little, introduced into the environment. Yale University recognized its genome and its species, until then considered extinct.