Found descendants of the extinct 'lonely George' turtle

Explorers have found 30 giant turtles, including descendants of the extinct species, on the Galápagos Islands.

Conservationists working around the largest volcano on the Galápagos Islands said they found 30 giant tortoises, according to the Guardian. These turtles are derived in part from two species of extinct turtles, including the species of the famous 'lonely George' turtle .

The Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Reserve indicate that a young female tortoise is a direct descendant of the Chelonoidis abingdonii of Pinta Island (Pinta Island Turtle). The last instance of this species is the ' lonely George' , the tortoise died in June 2012 and is thought to be over 100 years old.

11 males and 18 females are descended from the Chelonoidis niger of Floreana Island (Giant Floreana Island Turtle).

Pinta island giant tortoise famous "George lonely".(Photo: Guardian).

The 45-member expedition found the turtles while working around Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island. They say pirates and whalers have captured turtles from other islands in the archipelago and brought them closer to the volcano.

The turtles found in the latest expedition are hybrid turtles that originate from both extinct and other species.

Galápagos is a volcanic archipelago and is a province of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. The islands here have many endemic species that inspired the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. It is also home to 15 closely related turtles, according to the Nature Conservancy. The organization also estimates that around 20,000-25,000 wild turtles live there. At least four of the 15 species of turtles here are considered extinct.

1. Giant tortoise thought extinct 100 years ago now "re-export Gypsy"
2. Discovered a new species of giant tortoise on Galapagos island