With the death of Lonesome George in 2012, scientists believed that the Pinta Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdonii) was extinct for good. But, perhaps, there is still a faint glimmer of hope for this subspecies of Galápagos tortoise. On Isabela Island, in the Galápagos archipelago, a group of researchers has discovered thirty giant tortoises that may be descended from two species thought to be extinct: the Floreana Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger) and, indeed, the Pinta Island giant tortoise.

A relative of George

Among the specimens analysed, according to reports from the Galápagos national park and the organisation Galapagos conservancy, there is a young female with a direct lineage from the Pinta Island giant tortoise. According to the researchers, she could "be a direct descendant of a pure specimen still living near Wolf volcano", where the animals were found. The other reptiles — eleven males and eighteen females — share part of their genetic heritage with the Floreana Island giant tortoise.

The legacy of the vanished tortoises

The thirty tortoises, found during an expedition that formed part of the Giant tortoise restoration iniziative, were captured and transferred to the Fausto Llerena breeding centre on Santa Cruz Island, where breeding programmes for Galápagos giant tortoises are carried out. The 29 specimens related to the Floreana Island giant tortoise will be introduced into a captive breeding programme.

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The scientists at the centre have yet to decide what to do with the female descended from the Pinta Island giant tortoise; her discovery is in any case excellent news and points towards positive scenarios. The subspecies may not in fact be extinct and could be living in areas of the Galápagos that have not yet been sufficiently explored.

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A story of hope

The discovery of the 29 specimens hybridised with the Floreana Island giant tortoise could allow scientists to "de-extinct" this subspecies. "We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to bring this species back from extinction and that we can repopulate Floreana Island with tortoises similar to those that once inhabited it," commented Johannah Barry, president of the Galapagos conservancy. "We might actually be able to repair some of the damage we have done, and that would be wonderful."

How the tortoises hybridised

Before the arrival of Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution was inspired by the incredible variety of endemic species in the archipelago, the Galápagos was home to fifteen species of giant tortoise. At least four of those species are currently considered extinct.

Researchers believe that hybridisation between the various subspecies, which originally populated distinct islands, was made possible by sailors who took the reptiles on board to use as a food supply during voyages and who were sometimes forced to abandon the tortoises on other islands in order to lighten their load.