Adalgisa “Gisella” Caccone of Yale and her team had recently found genetic evidence that tortoises on the remote part of Wolf Island in the Galapagos were related to two extinct species of giant tortoises that once roamed the islands of Pinta and Floreana. Some of these tortoises were relatives of the iconic Lonesome George, the last of his species and mourned worldwide after his death in 2012. Researchers speculate that whalers — who used to store tortoises for food for long voyages — might have thrown the animals overboard near Wolf Island more than 150 years ago. Read More…
Our whole team of scientists and park rangers part of the Volcano Wolf 2015 expedition, organized and sponsored by the Galapagos National Park, Galapagos Conservancy and a grant from the National Geographic Society to Adalgisa Caccone. Photo credit: Jane Braxton Little.