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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Galapagos Islands found relatives extinct giant tortoise

The death of the world famous turtle named Lonesome George, the last of which was considered Abingdonskih elephant skulls, not to have disposed of its kind, as previously thought.

The researchers found that live on the Galapagos Islands, at least 17 turtles, which are similar to George genetic traits, including individuals of the same is kind to him.

"Thus, the death of George is not the end of the form of giant tortoises Chelonoidis abingdonii, - writes the British newspaper The Telegraph.

- Under the threat of extinction are 20 thousand species of animals and plants

This conclusion was made by scientists at Yale University, who found nine females, three males and five cubs with the genes of a giant turtle from the Pinto, which in 1972 was found Lonesome George.

The scientists compared more than 1.6 thousand DNA samples taken in 2008 in turtles living at Wolf Volcano on Isabella Island, the genes of George and samples stored in the museum Pinto tortoises. The results showed that the volcano of turtles may be hybrids, and some individuals may be on a pint of Thoroughbreds.

Lonesome George, who was about 100 years old, died in June at the reserve on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos archipelago. He was considered the last of the missing species, and his death was due to natural causes (old age) followed after decades of fruitless efforts of scientists to get his offspring.

Elephant turtles were killed in the Galapagos Islands 150 years ago. According to documentary sources, whalers took the islands several million individuals in the XVIII-XIX centuries as a caterer. Sailors called Turtles' live canned "because they can live a long time in a ship with no food or water.

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