Despite the death of Lonesome George, the last Galápagos tortoise on Pinta Island in 2012, scientists now hope to revive the extinct tortoise by the careful breeding of living tortoises that are genetically related, according to The Verge. Although the study of the species' DNA has played a significant part in their conservation, this will mark the first time that the genetic information will be used so determinedly.
Originally, there were eight species of Galápagos tortoise on Earth, but three species from the Pinta, Floreana, and Santa Fe islands are now extinct. Despite their extinction, bits of their genetic makeup still linger in the remaining species of Galápagos tortoises, giving scientists hope for their revival. Scientists collected blood samples from tortoises living on Isabela Island and found that eighty-nine of the 1,600 that they sampled had high levels of Floreana DNA and 17 had high levels of Pinta DNA.
Scientists believe that in a few generations, it will be possible to acquire tortoises with 95 percent of their lost ancestral genes, according to The New York Times.
"The size of this population is mind-boggling," said Adalgisa Caccone, the expedition's geneticist. "I am optimistic that some of these animals will have high conservation value."
Galápagos tortoises have a low center of gravity and move very close to the ground, which means they provide important ecosystem benefits: move seeds and nutrients, ultimately keeping soil healthy and helping sustain the surrounding environment, according to History in the Headlines.
