New species of giant tortoise discovered in the Galapagos Islands

Scientists have discovered that the giant tortoises present on San Cristobal Island, in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, are not previously identified species.

Giant Tortoise on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, photo taken on September 12, 2018.

The giant tortoises living on San Cristobal Island were previously identified as Chelonoidis chathamensis. But on March 10, the Galapagos National Park said, a new study showed that this species is genetically related to another species.

The park said: 'Scientists conclude that the nearly 8,000 turtles that exist today on San Cristobal Island are not Chelonoidis chathamensis but correspond to an entirely new lineage that has yet to be described.

Researchers measure turtles during a survey on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador November 12, 2016.

The study was carried out by the University of Newcastle, Yale University and the Galapagos Conservancy. This finding was made by comparing the genes of the animals with samples from the described species.

The species formerly thought to correspond to the San Cristobal tortoise may belong to an extinct species that cohabited with living ones, the statement said.

The Ecuadorian giant tortoise was taken on February 13, 2019.

"The team of investigators is further recovering the DNA of the presumed extinct species to clarify the status of the turtle and determine the relationship between the two species (alive and extinct.) The name Chelonoidis chathamensis should be given the name Chelonoidis chathamensis. attributed to extinct species and the classification of living turtles should be given a new name," the statement read.

Genetic studies of living Galapagos Island tortoises began in 1995, and four years later, scientists began studying the specimens that formed the extinct species.

The image of Ecuador's giant tortoise was taken on January 16, 2019.

The Galapagos Islands, whose rich biodiversity inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, are home to numerous species of flamingos, albatrosses and cormorants.

Ecuador recently expanded the marine protected area around the archipelago by 60,000 square kilometers.

The giant tortoise in Ecuador needs a new name. Photo taken on February 13, 2019.