US EditionGiant Tortoises Return to Galápagos Island After 180 Years of Extinction
The release marks a key milestone in a decade-long restoration, with tortoises carrying 40%-80% of the original Floreana genetic lineage, aiding ecosystem recovery.
- On Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, the Galápagos National Park released 158 juvenile hybrid tortoises aged 8 to 13 on Floreana Island, timed with the season's first winter rains.
- Historic drivers like whaling, fire and exploitation wiped out approximately 20,000 giant tortoises on Floreana two centuries ago, and Washington Tapia said the reintroduction aims to restore a lost lineage.
- Genetic analysis shows these hybrids trace to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, carry 40%–80% Chelonoidis niger DNA, and park breeders selected strong adults to resist introduced predators like rats and cats.
- The released tortoises will share territory with nearly 200 residents and native species while facing threats from introduced blackberry, guava, rats, cats, pigs, and donkeys as part of a 700 planned specimens program.
- Residents welcomed the release, calling it a 'dream come true', as the Galápagos Islands are a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site roughly 1,000 kilometers from the mainland.
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92 Articles
Almost 160 of these young people were re-entered on the island of Floreana in Galápagos, after an absence of more than 180 years. The event, considered “an extremely important stage”, was possible by genetic recovery of...
Giant tortoises, which had been extinct on Floriana Island in the Galapagos Islands for over 180 years, have been returned to the island after scientists spent nearly 10 years breeding them.
After more than 150 years, giant tortoises have re-populated the island of Floreana in the Galapagos archipelago.
The original animals were stolen from the island by sailors as a mobile food pantry, and researchers have now reintroduced 158 new individuals to Floreana Island.
A Subspecies of Tortoise Returns to the Galápagos Islands
Whether you’re there to take in stunning landscapes or have a profound philosophical experience, there are plenty of good reasons to visit the Galápagos Islands. But humans aren’t the only creatures that make their way to the islands that Charles Darwin helped make famous; recently, a very different species traveled there. Unlike their human counterparts, though, these beings were there to stay — and it represented something of a long-awaited re…
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