Extinct Giant Tortoise Lumbers Into View

For more than a century we thought the “fantastic giant tortoise” (Chelonoidis phantasticus) of the Galápagos was extinct, but a 50-year-old female of the species has been found. She’s been named “Fernanda,” after the Fernandina Island in the western Galápagos Archipelago where she was living.

The old girl was first seen in 2019, grazing on the sparse vegetation among the hardened lava of the islet. Princeton researchers used DNA testing to confirm that Fernanda was of the “fantastic” variety, genetically distinct from the other 13 tortoise species found in the Galápagos. Their research appears in Communications Biology.

There's more fantastic tortoise news on the other side of the planet. The Tropiquarium Zoo in Servion, Switzerland, announced this week the birth of two giant Galapagos tortoises – one with typical dark coloring, like its parents, and the other a milky white albino, a very rare occurrence in the species.

“Incredible birth in the Tropiquarium! We had the surprise of a baby albino among our baby Galapagos giant tortoises, a phenomenon that had never been seen in zoos or in the wild,” the zoo enthused on social media, posting pics of the rare tortoise. They’re not giant yet, but they are adorable.