Skip to main content

New Galapagos giant tortoise species identified



A new giant tortoise species has been identified on the Galapagos Islands, making 11 existing species in total. It is now believed that 15 species of giant tortoise lived on Galapagos Islands, with four species extinct, leaving 11 remaining. Galapagos Islands – Insulae de los Galopegos – means Islands of the Tortoises.

A team of Ecuadoran scientists identified the new giant tortoise species after genetic testing (The Telegraph, October 22, 2015). It was originally thought that the two giant tortoise populations on the Santa Cruz island of the Galapagos Islands were the same species, but after testing, two separate species were identified.

The population of giant tortoises living on the eastern side of Santa Cruz island is a different species, said research leader Gisella Caccone from Yale University. The researchers have called the new species Chelonoidis donfaustoi – distinct from the other species, Chelonoidis nigra. The new species was named in honour of Fausto Llerena who looked after the famous Lonesome George, the last known survivor of his species. Lonesome George was a male giant tortoise from the Pinta island of the Galapagos Islands, who died in June 2012.

Ecuadoran scientist, Washington Tapia, said there are about 250-300 of the new species of giant tortoise. Research commenced in 2002 when two scientists noticed a difference in the formation of the shells of both populations of giant tortoises. They took genetic samples and in 2005 the preliminary results suggested that the eastern tortoises were a different species. It has now been confirmed.

The head of the Galapagos National Park, Alejandra Ordonez, said that research is ongoing to determine the exact distribution of the new species and their nesting areas. The Galapagos archipelago of volcanic islands is 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. In 1979 the Natural Reserve became UNESCO’s first World Heritage Site.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/galapagos/11946990/Scientists-identify-new-Galapagos-giant-tortoise-species.html


MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...
Post a Comment
Read more