Grant Brown
Takeaways:
- Giant tortoises living in the San Cristóbal Island have been mistakenly given the wrong scientific name, as the one previously given to them is associated with an extinct tortoise.
- Recent DNA evidence suggests that the lowland tortoises are of an entirely different lineage than the highland Chelonoidis chathamensis tortoise that they were thought to be.
- Should future evidence confirm the presence of two species, scientists will have to come up with a new name for the lowland tortoises, as there are around 8000 of them living on the island.
