A species of giant tortoise believed to have gone extinct more than 100 years ago has been spotted in the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador's environment minister Marcelo Mata made the announcement that an adult female Fernandina Giant Tortoise had been discovered. Many species of giant tortoises were over-hunted for their meat by European and other colonists who travelled to the Galapagos archipelago. The tortoise was found by members of the Galapagos National Park and the US NGO Galapagos Conservancy. The Fernandina Giant Tortoise is one of 14 giant tortoise species in the Galapagos but only ten are thought to have survived human colonisation and over-hunting for food.

Source: Daily Mail February 20, 2019 15:22 UTC