A tortoise found on Isabela Island
A team of Yale University scientists says a giant Galapagos tortoise
which was believed to have gone extinct 150 years ago might still exist.
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Galapagos tortoise sits near Wolf
Volcano on Isabela Island |
Chelonoidis elephantopus lived on the island of Floreana of Galapagos
in the Pacific Ocean and was heavily hunted by whalers. Scientists have
now found hybrid tortoises on another Galapagos island, called Isabela,
that are believed to have Chelonoidis elephantopus as one of their
parents. As some hybrids are 15 years old, their parents are most
probably alive given that they can live to over 100 years old.
The Yale team says they have found 84 tortoises around Volcano Wolf
at the Northern end of Isabela Island that appear to have a pure-bred C.
elephantopus as a parent. "Around Volcano Wolf, it was a mystery - you
could find domed shells, you could find saddlebacks, and anything in
between," BBC quoted senior scientist Gisella Caccone as saying.
"And basically by looking at the genetic fingerprint of the hybrids,
if you do some calculations you realize that there have to be a few
elephantopus around to father these animals - and to justify the amount
of genetic diversity in the hybrids, there should be something like 38."
The 84 animals include both males and females, with some of the
hybrids carrying C. elephantopus mitochondrial DNA, which they inherit
from their mothers only. Experts say some of the tortoises were probably
taken by whaling ships and made it to shore on Isabela. The Yale team
plans to negotiate with Galapagos authorities to mount further
exploratory expeditions, or press ahead with a captive breeding
programme.
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