Image Source: Earth Times

BY MADISON MACK
ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

A subspecies of Charles Darwin’s famed giant Galapagos tortoises, believed extinct for the last 150 years, may still be around after all. Miami’s WVTV explains.

“Researchers did DNA testing on 1,600 tortoises on Isabella Island. They found 84 were direct offspring of a different tortoise species from a nearby island, long believed gone. Galapagos giant tortoises can live for 100 years or more."

From their plethora of samples, the scientists found the genetic signature of C . Elephantopus present in 84 Volcano Wolf tortoises - meaning at least one of their parents was a member of the missing species.

In an interview with ABC, one of the researchers recalls the discovery.

“At first, we didn’t know where these tortoises had come from. We called them aliens ... They compared the DNA to samples from the 19th century in American museums. ‘When we did the analysis, we said, uh, oh, those ‘aliens’ were from what we thought was the extinct population.”

Discover Magazine explains this isn’t just a routine academic exercise -- and quotes another of the researchers.

“The tortoises are keystone species in the Galapagos, and the biggest plant-eaters around. Their disappearance from certain islands has altered the balance of entire ecosystems. ‘We will lose what we treasure the Galapagos for ... It’s a unique place where evolution has played its game of cards in complete isolation with a set of players that arrived by chance and that do not exist anywhere else in the world.”

Researchers estimate that 40 of the purebred tortoises remain. So how have these giants remained hidden for the last 150 years? ZME weights in.

“Well, one might think that spotting a giant, slowpoke Galapagos tortoise is an easy feat, however this couldn’t be farther away from the truth. The local vegetation of the Volcano Wolf is hard and lush, making it extremely difficult to explore it. Also, the perfectly camouflaged carapace of the tortoises make them extremely difficult to spot, and only a highly trained eye might have a chance.”

 And one Gizmodo blogger can’t help but be moved by the news.

“Personally I can’t look at his picture without getting a little misty. That face! So it's extremely exciting that a giant tortoise thought to have been lost forever is still alive.”

The researchers will return to Volcano Wolf in December 2012 to continue their research.