Extinct Giant Tortoise May Still Be Alive in Galapagos

[n2doc]

Genetic traces of a supposedly extinct giant tortoise species have been found in living hybrids on the Galapagos island of Isabela.

A few pure Chelonoidis elephantopus almost certainly still exist, hidden in the island’s volcanic redoubts. The hybrids have so much C. elephantopus DNA that scientists say careful breeding could resurrect the tragically vanished behemoths.

“To our knowledge, this is the first rediscovery of a species by way of tracking the genetic footprints left in the genomes of its hybrid offspring,” wrote researchers led by Yale University biologists Ryan Garrick and Edgar Benavides in a Jan. 9 Current Biology paper.

At the beginning of the 16th century, before humans arrived, an estimated 250,000 giant tortoises representing 15 different species lived in the Galapagos. Once fully grown, the tortoises had no natural predators — except people.

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http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/extinct-tortoise-found/

[Corruption Winz]

1. Wow. That's incredible. Truly incredible.

I genuinely wish I would have paid more attention during science class in high school. Now, I have to catch up and realize how into these sorts of things I really am.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Wow! He is impressive and this is terrific news!

We have already lost too many wonderful animals.

When I was a kid at summer camp in Vermont, I encountered a truly enormous tortoise when I was walking through the woods by myself. I wanted to tell somebody or show somebody, but I didn't have a camera and I was walking alone. I have no idea what kind of tortoise he was, but I was obviously plenty impressed. Turtles/Tortoises are fascinating...