Third Litter of Giant Tortoises Born in Galapagos

2 April 2018
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Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge as a Galapagos hotel, is happy to announce the birth of a new litter of tortoises. In the first days of February the third litter of "Chelonoidis donfaustoi" was born. This is a new species of giant tortoises identified in 2015 after several years of genetic analysis.

For a long time, the scientific community thought that giant tortoise populations from east of the island of Santa Cruz were the same species as the western tortoises. But after careful analysis and genetic research it was determined that they actually belonged to a different species. The situation was critical considering there were not many individuals left from the east part of the island.

From this new discovery, the Galapagos National Park has developed programs for its conservation. With this new litter, 120 specimens are added. For the tortoises to be released in their natural environment, their shells must measure between 23 and 25 centimeters. However, to ensure the survival of these reptiles, they must spend their childhood in captivity, until about 5 years old. Once they grow up, the specimens are going to be returned to the same place where the nests were found.

Casa Natura Galápagos Lodge, is committed to the conservation of these magnificent animals, so they invite all their guests to become aware of the importance of these species. Tortoises are engineers of their ecosystem. With their movements, giant tortoises craft the environment that surrounds them, opening paths so that other species can thrive and also collaborate dispersing seeds.

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