The giant turtle of Floreana could "come back" from extinction

Seeing how biodiversity decreases as the number of extinct species increases proportionally is devastating. But the advance of science does not only want to put a stop to this massacre, but also to recover those animals that are no longer among us.

A team of international researchers led by scientists from Yale University are trying to bring back to Earth an extinct animal, the Floreana turtle -Chelonoidis elephantopus-, one of four giant turtles that has been declared extinct. This animal was typical of the island with the same name, which is about 900 kilometers from the Pacific coast of Ecuador.

Chales Darwin visited the island in 1835. Soon after, these reptiles became extinct, most of them killed for their meat. Others died from the results of foreign species, such as cats and rats, brought to the island by humans.

This return will be possible because the Galapagos Islands are home to a species of giant tortoises with an ancestry very similar to the Floreana, something to be grateful to the sailors of the time.

Records show that whalers and pirates threw many Florean turtles in Banks Bay to lighten their load. The turtles were mixed with the native species to produce the ancestors of the animals that still populate this area. "The irony is that this species has a second chance for the same reason they died: for the performance of the sailors 200 years ago," says Adalgisa Caccone, author of the study.

Researchers have published in Nature that they have found enough turtles with similar DNA to start a breeding program. They have selected 32 turtles, of which two of them stand out, which according to the research carried out could be almost "purebreds" -which would mean that the Floreana turtle is not completely extinct.

As exciting as it may sound, it will take several generations for the experiment to work - if it works. But as the same expert says, "it is much easier to destroy than to restore", so even though it takes time, it is for a great good.

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Reference:
Nature

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