DNA tests show Lonesome George may not have been last of his species
Friday, November 16, 2012 - 07:02
in Paleontology & Archaeology
(Phys.org)—When the giant tortoise Lonesome George died this summer, conservationists from around the world mourned the extinction his species. However, a genetic analysis by Yale University researchers of tortoises living in a remote area of a Galapagos Island suggests individuals of the same tortoise species may still be alive—perhaps ancestors of tortoises thrown overboard by 19th century sailors.