New Giant Tortoise Species Found in Galapagos; Discovery named in honor of longtime park ranger

Newswise — A research team working in the Galapagos Archipelago has discovered there are two species of giant tortoises — not just one, as had been long believed — living on the island of Santa Cruz in the center of the Galapagos Archipelago.

The discovery of the new species, (see photo) detailed in a study reported today (Oct. 21) in the journal \”PLOS ONE,\” is likely to help focus attention on the newly named Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise (Chelonoidis donfaustoi), said Dr. James Gibbs, a team member and conservation biologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Gibbs’ work on this discovery and others has been done in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Service, Yale University and the Galapagos Conservancy.