One was known as “Lonesome George,” a male Pinta Island tortoise, the last known of the species, who died in 2012 without leaving any offspring. The current population of giant tortoises from various species is estimated at 60,000, according to data from the Galapagos National Park. “It was believed extinct more than 100 years ago! We have reconfirmed its existence,” Environment Minister Gustavo Manrique wrote on his Twitter account. It also houses a large amount of flora and fauna in danger of extinction. In the Galapagos Islands, which served as the basis for the British scientist Charles Darwin’s theory of the evolution of species in the 19th century, many varieties of tortoises live together with flamingos, boobies, albatrosses and cormorants, a family of species of aquatic birds. “Yale University revealed the results of genetic studies and the respective DNA comparison that was made with a specimen extracted in 1906,” the Galapagos Park said in a statement. Scientists from Yale University then identified it as the Chelonoidis phantasticus species, which had been considered extinct more than a century ago. The world shed a tear when the news broke that Lonesome George the last remaining giant tortoise of his kind passed away in his enclosure in the Galapagos Islands on Sunday. The turtle was found two years ago on Fernandina Island, one of the youngest and most pristine in the archipelago, during a joint expedition between the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Conservancy. Lonesome George died on Jat the age of approximately 100, making the Pinta Island Tortoise extinct. The Galapagos National Park is preparing an expedition to search for more of the giant tortoises in an attempt to save the species. Ecuador confirmed on Tuesday that a giant tortoise found in 2019 in the Galapagos Islands is a species considered extinct a century ago.
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