Chelonoidis phantasticus, or the Fernandina giant tortoise, was feared extinct until an expedition found a lone female in a remote area on the island of Fernandina.
Researchers are trying to recreate an extinct species of the lumbering reptiles by breeding closely related species that contain traces of the lost lineage’s DNA.
Researchers are permanently marking endangered reptiles in Madagascar to keep the animals from entering the illegal wildlife trade.Read the full story. [gallery]
Conservationists working in Madagascar are doing the unthinkable—defacing the shells of endangered ploughshare tortoises—but it may be the animals’ last hope.