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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA female giant tortoise found on Fernandina Island in 2019 was genetically identified as belonging to the island’s long-unconfirmed tortoise lineage. Researchers compared her whole genome with that of a male collected there in 1906 and found that the two belong to the same distinct lineage, Chelonoidis phantasticus. The result confirms that the lineage survived; it does not establish that a viable population remains.
What was rediscovered on Fernandina?
The animal, nicknamed Fernanda, was found during a 2019 joint expedition by Galápagos Conservancy and the Galápagos National Park Directorate. Before her discovery, the only known specimen attributed to the Fernandina giant tortoise was a male collected in 1906. That long gap led to descriptions of the lineage as “extinct” or lost, but it does not prove that the last tortoise died in 1906. The 2022 study notes earlier reports of possible tortoise signs, including scats reported in 1964 and later anecdotal observations.
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Fernanda did not look like the historic male in every obvious respect. The old specimen has pronounced saddleback features, while Fernanda’s appearance initially made her identity uncertain. The researchers note that her stunted growth could complicate identification based on shape alone.
How did researchers identify her?
Rather than relying on appearance, the research team sequenced the full genomes of Fernanda and the 1906 museum specimen, then compared them with genomic data from other living Galápagos tortoise lineages and one extinct lineage. In a principal components analysis using more than 750,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—genetic markers that vary among individuals—the two Fernandina tortoises clustered together, apart from sampled tortoises from other islands. Phylogenomic analysis of saddleback and semi-saddleback tortoises also supported a distinct group containing both Fernandina specimens.
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Together, those results provide strong evidence that Fernanda belongs to the same distinct Fernandina lineage as the historic specimen. The study did not resolve every branch of the broader Galápagos tortoise family tree: the authors report that Fernandina’s position was not well resolved in their broad phylogeny, and recent diversification can make evolutionary relationships difficult to separate. That limitation does not undo the evidence linking the two Fernandina animals.
Does the finding mean the tortoises are no longer endangered?
No. The genome comparison establishes lineage identity, not the size or health of a population. It does not show that a breeding group exists, that the lineage is recovering, or how many Fernandina tortoises may still be alive. Fernandina’s extensive lava fields make exploration of the active volcanic island’s interior difficult, and the sources do not provide a current population census.
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Galápagos Conservancy reported that Fernanda was being held at the Galápagos National Park Tortoise Center after her discovery; that is the status described at the time, not a confirmation of her present location or condition. In a 2021 announcement, before publication of the peer-reviewed genomic study, the Conservancy quoted its vice president of science and conservation, James Gibbs, calling for an urgent search for more tortoises. That statement reflects the conservation concern at the time, not evidence of the search’s current status.
Is it a subspecies or a species?
The headline’s “subspecies” wording reflects one way of describing the rediscovered lineage, but Galápagos tortoise classification is debated. The 2022 study recognizes Chelonoidis phantasticus as a species and discusses disagreement over whether island tortoise taxa should be treated as species or subspecies. Its authors refer to 14 named taxa under their classification; that count is not an uncontested tally of subspecies.
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How Fernanda’s discovery differs from the Floreana restoration
Fernanda’s story concerns a tortoise found on Fernandina and genetically assigned to that island’s distinct lineage. Floreana is a separate conservation story: in 2026, the Galápagos National Park Directorate described tortoises with Floreana ancestry surviving as hybrids on Isabela’s Wolf Volcano, being selectively bred, and returned to Floreana. NASA describes satellite-based habitat mapping as part of that restoration effort. Those actions concern the return of Floreana ancestry to Floreana, not Fernanda’s discovery on Fernandina.
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Sources
- The 2022 peer-reviewed genomic study in Communications Biology.
- Galápagos Conservancy’s 2021 announcement, which reports expedition details and the announcement-era conservation response.
- The Galápagos National Park Directorate’s 2026 account of the Floreana return.
- NASA’s 2026 account of mapping and the Floreana restoration.
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