For the first time in roughly 150 years, giant tortoises have begun roaming Floreana Island in the Galapagos Islands again. The tortoises were released last Friday. It's a big step in restoring the island's natural environment, and is part of a larger project to return several other animals to the island.
Posts tagged as “tortoises”
Last Sunday was the official birthday of the world's oldest land animal. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on the island of Saint Helena, turned 190 years old. The event was celebrated with a big party, which included a special "salad cake".
In today's news roundup, a terrorist group sets off bombs near the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Kathy Hochul takes over as New York state's first female governor, and scientists discover that plant-eating giant tortoises sometimes also hunt young birds.
Recently, scientists have found examples of two kinds of animals that were thought to be extinct. One is a kind of tortoise last seen in 1906, the other is a river otter that scientists thought no longer existed in Argentina.
In today's news roundup, the massive container ship blocking the Suez Canal gets unstuck, inspectors in Galapagos find a suitcase with 185 rare tortoises, and this year, Japan's cherry trees are fully blooming earlier than ever before.
A Hood Island giant tortoise named Diego has returned to his home island in the Galapagos after becoming the father of up to 800 tortoises. Diego's efforts have helped raise the number of Hood Island tortoises from 15 to nearly 2,000.
In recent weeks scientists have found two very different animals that have not been seen in dozens of years - a very rare tortoise and the world's largest bee.