An international team of scientists has discovered a new species of giant tortoises that live on the Galapagos Islands. This was reported in a study published in the online scientific journal PLOS One.
The new species was named Chelonoidis donfaustoi in honor of Fausto Yereny (Fausto Llerena), who took care of is considered the last representative of the subspecies Abingdonskoy Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George.
The discovery was made using DNA analysis. The study, which dates back to the beginning of 2002 showed that the population, which is considered one species, belong to two. Such individuals are between 250 and 300, said Ecuadorian scientist Washington Tapia (Washington Tapia), who participated in the study.
08:51 October 19, 2015
Given the Chelonoidis donfaustoi on Galapagos is now home to a total of 11 species of giant tortoises. Earlier, there were 15, but 4 species extinct. These turtles, mainly live in the east of the island of Santa Cruz.
In July 2015 following the results of a survey conducted among the readers of the American travel magazine, Ecuador’s Galapagos archipelago topped the rating of the most picturesque and interesting tourist islands in the world .
The Galapagos Islands belong to the government of Ecuador, are famous for their unique plants and animals, including giant tortoises.
In 1835 the island attended the English naturalist Charles Darwin. Observations of the unique natural world of this corner of the earth prompted the English naturalist and traveler to the development of the theory of natural selection and evolution of species.
No comments:
Post a Comment