Scientists Trying To Genetically Resurrect Extinct Galapagos Tortoise

But, according to the Times, living tortoises on Isabela Island, south of Pinta, were found during a 2008 survey to have high amounts of Pinta-tortoise DNA, raising the tantalizing possibility that some of them may be in the family tree of George himself. The professor of vertebrate conservation biology at State University of New York, James Gibbs, said, “I don’t think this has ever been attempted before”.

Pinta island tortoises (scientifically known as Chelondoidis nigra abingdonii) were declared functionally extinct, after it was determined that Lonesome George, a tortoise first encountered by Hungarian naturalist József Vágvölgyi back in 1971, was actually the last surviving representative of this subspecies of Galapagos tortoises.

It’s believed that whalers threw several tortoises overboard near Wolf Island more than 150 years ago, Yale News said.

Moreover, researchers believe that both species they are after may not be extinct at all since there are reports of odd-looking tortoises on remote volcanic islands within the archipelago.

Originally, there were at least eight species of Galapagos tortoise and at least three of them gone now including Pintas with which George belonged to. Seven years ago, biologists found over 1,600 animals on the island. Because Tortoise populations have been steadily declining for a myriad of reasons over the last 500 years, the team hopes to make strides in reversing the extinction process. The largest island, the Isabela Island, is now believed to be home of the largest number of tortoises.

George’s death was regarded by conservationists as an example of the fragility of certain species, and was used as an argument for increasing efforts to preserve habitats for rare animals.

Some of these tortoises were relatives of the iconic Lonesome George, the last of his species and mourned worldwide after his death in 2012. The team discovered that 89 percent of the tortoises still retain some of the Pinta’s DNA.

The ultimate goal of this project is to bring those 17 tortoises to Santa Cruz island in the hopes that two of them are able to mate.

Caccone said she is optimistic that good mating pairs might be found – and not just because of the genetic relationships her lab as uncovered. Now, scientists are trying to revive the ancient species by starting a new breeding program using hybrid tortoises that have some of the same genes as George’s ancestors.

From there, the tortoise experts are going to try to breed the specimens so that the genetic material from the extinct race is the one being transmitted on, and they hope that in a matter of 5 to 10 years, they will bring back Lonesome George’s species.