"Giant tortoises, the life-giving engineers of remote small island ecosystems, are plodding over the Galapagos island of Floreana for the first time in more than 180 years. The Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger), a subspecies of the giant tortoise once found across the Galapagos, was driven to extinction in the 1840s by whalers who removed thousands from the volcanic island to provide a living larder during their hunting voyages."
"Remarkably, 158 juvenile giant tortoises descended from the Floreana subspecies have been returned to the island in a vital step for the largest ecological restoration project undertaken on the Pacific Ocean archipelago. A relic population of giant tortoises discovered on Wolf volcano in the north of Isabela Island in 2008 were found to be descended in part from the Floreana population."
"A captive back breeding programme began in 2017, for which 23 hybrid tortoises most closely related to the Floreana subspecies were chosen to recreate it as genetically close to the original as possible. More than 600 hatchlings had been born by 2025, and several hundred grew large enough to be returned to their ancestral island. Males can reach nearly 1.5 metres (5ft) in length."
Floreana giant tortoises have returned to Floreana for the first time in over 180 years after whalers extirpated the original population in the 1840s. A relic population on Wolf volcano discovered in 2008 retained partial Floreana ancestry, including saddleback-shaped carapaces. A captive back-breeding programme launched in 2017 selected 23 hybrids most closely related to the subspecies. More than 600 hatchlings were born by 2025 and several hundred reached release size. A total of 158 juvenile tortoises descended from the Floreana line were returned to the island to support the largest ecological restoration effort in the Galapagos.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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