Reptiles of Galápagos | Testudines | Testudinidae | Chelonoidis phantasticus. All rights reserved. [5][6][7], Chelonoidis phantasticus is considered a member of the Chelonoidis nigra species complex, variably considered a subspecies of C. nigra or a valid species itself. Although Fernandina is a 642 km2 island, only about 39–137 km2 is formed by habitat that can be potentially inhabited by tortoises. Picture: Adult male. [8], Originally known from only one male specimen found (and killed) by members of the 1906 California Academy of Sciences expedition, there were discoveries of putative tortoise droppings and cactus bite marks in 1964 and 2013, and an unconfirmed sighting in 2009. Affiliation: Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador. Authors: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador. [10] The expedition was led by wildlife biologist Forrest Galante who was accompanied by Washington Tapia, director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, and included four rangers—Jeffreys Malaga, Eduardo Vilema, Roberto Ballesteros, and Simon Villamar— and was funded by Animal Planet. Arteaga A, Guayasamin JM (2020) Chelonoidis phantasticus. Recognition: ♂♂ 87.6 cm ♀♀ 50.7 cm. Etymology : References: Iverson, J.B. 1992. nigra species complex”. There is one large cone which is like a large boiling pot which is boiling over. (2010) lists them separately but under the heading "C. nigra species complex". Probably needs to be called C. phantasticus following Olson & David 2014. Testudo phantasticus Van Denburgh, 1907[3] Rhodin et al. Geochelone nigra phantastica Iverson, 1992[4] … Seit mehr als einem Jahrhundert galt sie als ausgestorben. A revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World. "...the volcano is in awful operation at present. Jetzt haben Forscher ein Weibchen der eigentlich für tot erklärten Riesenschildkröte der Art „Chelonoidis Phantasticus“ gefunden. ", Thomas Matthews, master of the whaling ship Equator, 1846.6. See it in the wild: It seems that very few individuals of Chelonoidis phantasticus still persist in the highlands of Fernandina Island, which is inaccessible to tourism. This individual is now at the Fausto Llerena breeding center in Santa Cruz Island. Sie kommt nur auf der unbewohnten Insel Fernandina vor. Die Riesenschildkröte Chelonoidis Phantasticus galt seit mehr als einem Jahrhundert als ausgestorben. Available from: www.tropicalherping.com. Spanish common names: Galápago de Fernandina, tortuga gigante de Fernandina. [11][12][13], Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on, "Chelonoidis phantasticus (errata version published in 2018)", "Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status", "Preliminary descriptions of four new races of gigantic land tortoises from the Galapagos Islands", "How an 'extinct' tortoise was rediscovered after a century", "Tortoise thought to be extinct for a century found alive in Galapagos", "Turtles of the World, 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status", "Tortuga considerada extinta hace 100 años es descubierta en Galápagos", "Not seen for 100 years, a rare Galápagos tortoise was considered all but extinct – until now", "Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years found in Galápagos", turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fernandina_Island_Galápagos_tortoise&oldid=987741679, IUCN Red List critically endangered species, Taxonbars with automatically added original combinations, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 November 2020, at 23:36. It is recognizable by its strongly saddlebacked carapace. Sie kommt nur auf der unbewohnten Insel Fernandina vor. The red lava covers a field of 5 or 6 miles, which is a great illumination in the night. [5] The tortoise has been transferred to a breeding center on the nearby island of Santa Cruz for the purpose of conservation and genetic tests. Chelonoidis phantasticus is the only species of giant tortoise known to occur on Fernandina Island. The best way you can help ensure a future for Galápagos' giant tortoises is by supporting the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, an incredibly ambitious effort led by Galápagos Conservancy and the Galápagos National Park, to restore tortoise populations to their historical distribution and numbers across Galápagos. Die Riesenschildkröte Chelonoidis Phantasticus galt seit mehr als einem Jahrhundert als ausgestorben. Conservation: Critically Endangered.3 Until very recently, Chelonoidis phantasticus was only known from a single individual collected in 1906 by an expedition of the California Academy of Sciences.4 Since there are no records of whalers and buccaneers collecting Fernandina Giant-Tortoises5,6 and there are no introduced predators on the island, C. phantasticus was thought to have succumbed to volcanic activity.3,7 However, circumstantial evidence (tortoise scats, bite marks, and footprints) indicated that living individuals of the Fernandina Giant-Tortoise still existed.3 This optimistic guess has been nearly (pending genetic assignment and upcoming fieldwork) confirmed on February 2019, when an expedition led by Washington Tapia found an adult female presumably assigned to C. phantasticus. Distribution: Chelonoidis phantasticus is endemic to Fernandina Island in Galápagos, Ecuador. Chelonoidis phantasticus is a diurnal and terrestrial tortoise inhabiting deciduous forests. Tortoises of this species feed on grasses, herbs, shrubs, cacti.1,2. There are efforts being made to find a suitable male for Fern (the female) to breed with. The only known living individual of the species is at the Fausto Llerena breeding center in Santa Cruz island. [1][9] However, no confirmed live tortoises nor remains were found on Fernandina until an expedition in February 2019 discovered an elderly female. Chelonoidis phantasticus is the only species of giant tortoise known to occur on Fernandina Island. Natural history: Historically extremely rare. (2010) listed them separately but under the heading “C. Affiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador. Affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Quito, Ecuador. It is recognizable by its strongly saddlebacked carapace. In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J, Tapia W, Guayasamin JM (Eds) Reptiles of Galápagos. Taxonomy: This is a member of the Chelonoidis nigra species complex, variably considered subspecies of C. nigra or as valid species. English common names: Fernandina Giant-Tortoise, Narborough Island Giant-Tortoise. Affiliation: Galapagos Science Center, Galápagos, Ecuador. Etymology: The generic name Chelonoidis comes from the Greek word chelone (meaning “tortoise”).8 The specific epithet phantasticus comes from the Greek word phantasia (meaning “illusion”),8 and it probably reflects John Van Denburgh's impression that Fernandina Island, described to him as one large cone of black lava,4 was no habitat for a real tortoise. Spanish common names: Galápago de Fernandina, tortuga gigante de Fernandina. How to cite? Chelonoidis phantastica[2], Chelonoidis phantasticus (commonly known as the Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise or Narborough Island giant tortoise) is a species of Galápagos tortoise that was discovered in 1906 and not seen again until a single female was discovered living on Fernandina Island by an expedition in February 2019. Rhodin et al. Chelonoidis phantasticus (commonly known as the Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise or Narborough Island giant tortoise) is a species of Galápagos tortoise that was discovered in 1906 and not seen again until a single female was discovered living on Fernandina Island by an expedition in February 2019. and Juan M GuayasaminbAffiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: Galapagos Science Center, Galápagos, Ecuador.,dAffiliation: Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador. Recognition: ♂♂ 87.6 cm ♀♀ 50.7 cm. © 2020 Tropical Herping. How can you help the Fernandina Giant-Tortoise?