Scientists identify new Galapagos giant tortoise species

^{Lonesome George, seen in the Galapagos Islands in 2008, may not have been the last of his kind after all, a new study shows. Photo: EPA/JAN RONNEBURGER}

"We estimate that there are 250 or 300 creatures of this species," Ecuadoran scientist Washington Tapia, who participated in the research, told AFP.

Research began in 2002 when two scientists thought that "due to the formation of the shell, these tortoises should belong to a different species."

Then, Tapia said, scientists analyzed genetic samples taken from the animals.

"In 2005 the preliminary results already suggested that we were dealing with a different species," Tapia said.

The shell is indeed different from other tortoises, but "the main difference is at the genetic level," he said.

^{A new species of tortoise on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Photo: AP}

The head of the Galapagos National Park, Alejandra Ordonez, said that research on the new species continues "to determine their exact distribution on the island, their nesting areas, and potential threats."

With this find, experts now believe that 15 species of tortoise lived on the islands, including four that are extinct.

The Galapagos archipelago, located 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) west of Ecuador, is a fragile ecosystem that harbors the largest number of different animal species on the planet.

In 1979 the Natural Reserve became UNESCO's first World Heritage Site.