A Turtle

Look what we found amidst the lava on a far-flung island....

This is a story about traversing lava, about scientific curiosity and about a 62 pound, 100 year young tortoise.

Or, put another way. Imagine finding a long-lost species of Tortoises here:

Lava flows on the eastern flank of Fernandina. Photo courtesy of Parque Nacional Galápagos.

The Fernandina Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus), was believed to be extinct for over a century. However, a 2019 expedition to the island found a lone female tortoise, now named Fernanda, living in the wild. Since then her has been confirmed as a Fernandina Giant Tortoise.

Fernanda (Photo courtesy of Lucas Bustamante (@luksth))

Fernandina Island giant tortoise is/was/are:

• 1 of 14 distinct species of giant tortoises found in the archipelago

• Known for their immense size

• First identified in 1906

• Quite long lived, with some individuals living for over 100 years.

A little note on Fernandina Island, it’s actually an active volcano! It last erupted in January 2020, and because of this it is a harsh and challenging environment (free flowing lava is quite the barrier) for any living creature and a tough place for scientists to investigate.

"It's a testament to the resilience of life and the importance of ongoing conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands." said Dr. Stephen Gaughran, a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University

So, let’s recap. On an island defined by an active volcano and replete with free-flowing lava, scientists found themselves a sixty-odd pound tortoise from a species thought to have been extinct.

That’s pretty good.