‘Extinct’ Galapagos tortoise rediscovered

This 20 February 2019 video in French is about the rediscovery of the Chelonoidis phantastica giant tortoise on the Galapagos islands.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV, 20 December 2019:

Giant tortoise species seen again for the first time since 1906

An extinct giant tortoise has been found in the Galapagos Islands. This species had not been seen since 1906. That is why scientists assumed that a volcanic eruption had eradicated the turtle species.

It is a female Chelonoidis phantastica, a subspecies of the Galapagos giant tortoise. It only lives on the island of Fernandina. The female was discovered by local conservationists.

The proud Minister of the Environment of Ecuador announced the find on Twitter. The archipelago is part of this South American country.

NOTICIA MUNDIAL | En la isla Fernandina – #Galápagos, la expedición liderada por @parquegalapagos y @SaveGalapagos, localizaron un espécimen (hembra adulta) de la especie de tortuga Chelonoidis Phantasticus, que se creía extinta hace más de 100 años. pic.twitter.com/51HbqWcwMG

— Marcelo Mata (@Marcelo_MataG) February 19, 2019

Lots of striking species of lizards, iguanas and giant turtles live on the Galapagos Islands. The flora and fauna on the islands were an important source of inspiration for Charles Darwin‘s book The Origin of Species, in which he explained his theory of evolution.