in TGalapagos tortoise (chelonoidis Nigra) Considered extinct in the last 100 years, the last specimen of this species was seen in 1906, however, in 2019, a group of biologists found a specimen in Ilha Fernandina, in the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands, confirming its continued existence.
On a visit to the island, a group of scientists from Princeton University found this female giant tortoise, but they weren’t sure what kind, as its shell was different from the male found more than a century ago. After analyzing and comparing their DNA, the team confirmed that they had similar genes. Named Fernanda, because of where it was discovered, it is estimated to be more than 50 years old – and possibly up to 200 years old.
“We were able to show a link between Fernanda and the other tortoise Fernandina [encontrada na mesma ilha] And also to know the difference between these two tortoises and the species we see on other islands.”says Stephen Jegran, one of the authors of studyIt has now been published in the scientific journal Nature. “We hope there are still some of these turtles out there on the island. But there are probably not many copies.”
The turtle is now being monitored at the Turtle Center in the Galapagos National Park.
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