Scientists had thought this animal was the last of the "fantastic giant tortoise," or Chelonoidis phantasticus, rendering the species extinct. Some of the Galapagos tortoises have a domed upper shell, called a carapace, that resembles an upside-down bowl. Fernanda is genetically distinct from other species of giant tortoise in the Galapagos. Both Fernanda and the 1906 tortoise have really high genetic diversity compared with the other species of Galapagos tortoise, Jensen said. As pirates raided South American colonies and whalers hunted in the surrounding waters, they made the giant tortoises their food source.

Source: CNN June 11, 2022 03:39 UTC