After being discovered alive, a tortoise from a Galápagos species long thought extinct has recently been identified as a living member of the species.
The tortoise is the first of her species to be discovered in more than a century and has been given the name Fernanda after her habitat on Fernandina Island.
Wacho Tapia, director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, calls the discovery “perhaps the most important find of the century.”
In the decades since then, there had been signs of the species’ continued survival on the island. The occasional discovery of tortoise droppings and bite marks provided some reassurance, but any tortoises themselves remained out of sight.
The tortoise found on Fernandina Island was understandably reserved after avoiding discovery for more than a century. But hopefully she isn’t by herself.
Since then, the sole female has been securely transferred from Fernandina to a breeding facility for tortoises on a nearby island. In the meantime, the search for additional members of her species goes on, especially for a suitable partner from whom a resurgence of their kind can emerge.