‘Fantastic giant tortoise’ species thought extinct for 100 years found alive

Identification of Galapagos tortoise celebrated by scientists as a big deal for island's biodiversity

A rare Galapagos species, the fantastic giant tortoise", long thought extinct, has been officially identified for the first time in more than a century in what scientists called a big deal" for the famed islands' embattled biodiversity.

The animal is the first Chelonoidis phantasticus to be seen since a male specimen was discovered by the explorer Rollo Beck during an expedition in 1906. The newcomer has been named Fernanda, after the Fernandina Island, a largely unexplored active volcano in the western Galapagos Archipelago that she calls home.