Extinct' Galapagos Tortoise May Still Exist, Yale Scientists Say

Huffington Post: 10/01/12 - R. E Searles

Extinct or just hiding out? A long-lost species of the gigantic, slow-moving Galapagos tortoise that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection may still exist, according to the Yale University scientists behind what's been nicknamed "The Lazarus Project."

In the January 10 issue of Current Biology, researchers report evidence that the DNA ofChelonoidis elephantopus, supposedly extinct for 150 years, lives on in a few hybrid descendants. Using DNA snippets as clues, scientists found reason to believe that members of the believed-to-beextinct tortoise species may still be roaming Isabela Island of the Galapagos archipelago.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report of the rediscovery of a species by way of tracking the genetic footprints left in the genomes of its offspring," study co-author Ryan Garrick said in a written statement.

Biologists analyzed the genes of nearly 2,000 living giant tortoises and compared them to the genes of museum specimens of C. elephantopus. Data revealed that 84 of the living tortoises' genomes can only be explained if one of their parents were a member of the supposedly extinct species. In 30 cases, breeding had taken place in the last 15 years, and with a lifespan of over 100 years, researchers believe it is likely that the parents of these hybrid offspring are still alive.

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