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Extinct Galapagos tortoise 'can live again'
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by amyjudd | September 23, 2008 at 11:21 am
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As scientists hoped Lonesome George would do, an extinct Galapagos tortoise may be 'brought back to life' as relatives of the Geochelone elephantopus has been found.
Cross-breeding these living tortoises might re-create the extinct species - though it could take a century.
The distribution of related tortoises between the islands was one of the pieces of evidence Charles Darwin used in formulating his theory of evolution.
But of 15 known Galapagos species, four have since gone extinct - elephantopus less than two decades after Darwin visited the island.
Now, according to Gisella Caccone from Yale University in New Haven, US, there is a chance that its former island home of Floreana could one day feel its footsteps again.
"We might need three or four generations to do this," she told BBC News.
"But in theory it could be done, and I think it's pretty exciting to bring back from the dead a genome that we thought was gone."
Darwin first 'discovered' the giant tortoises, but many were lost due to being used as food for whaling ships.
It will be difficult to bring back a species from the dead, but it will be worth trying according to scientists working on the case.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (12)
at 22:20 on September 23rd, 2008
I hope then they could exist forever.
at 01:59 on September 24th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. good story. seems almost like science fiction though!
at 04:58 on September 24th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Great news.
at 08:08 on September 24th, 2008
These animal are rather majestic and they should be encourage to survive.
Sim-tov has contributed a photo to this story.
at 08:33 on September 24th, 2008
Here's an image of a giant tortoise poking his face into the sunlight. Housed at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, this magnificent tortoise shares his cushy surroundings with several other tortoises at the Old Tortoises raising centre. The saddest occupant is "Lonesome George", the last survivor from Pinta Island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Nikond2xPro has contributed a photo to this story.
at 09:19 on September 24th, 2008
This tortoise is relatively young, because the ring-like patterns on the shell are clearly visible. They wear away as the tortoises age.
This was taken on Santa Cruz Island, where tortoises in the wild are easy to see in the highlands. Even though the farms that allow tourists seem a little zoo-like, with a snack bar nearby and tourists wandering around, the tortoises are free to roam since fences must be constructed to allow their passage. They have plenty of food and mud ponds for cooling off. I'm not sure what else a tortoise could want, and the tourist income is important for a poor country like Ecuador.
lbechtler has contributed a photo to this story.
at 11:21 on September 24th, 2008
These photos really don't do these magnificent creatures justice.
Leon Z Newman has contributed a photo to this story.
at 19:13 on September 24th, 2008
Hello. I visited the Galapagos in November of 2007 and it was an amazing experience. The tortoise was one of my favorites!
youngersr has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:00 on October 4th, 2008
January 2008, my son and I sailed around the Galapogos Islands for seven days with Mountain Sobek Tranvel (www.mtsobek.com). It was a fantastic trip and our guide Luis Die is one of the best in the islands. Enjoy the photos!
rcavagnari has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:09 on October 4th, 2008
Galapagos Islands - January 2008
Additional Galapagos pictures from this trip can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcavagnari/sets/72157603704887680/
rcavagnari has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:41 on October 13th, 2008
amyjudd, great news! it's so refreshing to hear something good on the environmental issues nowadays...
at 11:04 on October 14th, 2008
This is one of the few tortoises that I saw on a trip to the Galapagos,all them were at the Charles Darwin Institute.
dana.ny has contributed a photo to this story.