Chelonoidis donfaustoi: Eastern Santa Cruz Giant Galápagos Tortoise

The 15-square-mile (38.85-square-kilometer) Cerro Fatal 6+ miles (9.66+ kilometers) from La Reserva’s 2,000-member Chelonoidis porteri community gets called home for Don Fausto’s drought-tolerant tortoises. Its arid, lava-riddled lowlands harbor smaller-sized descendants of ancestors less than 500,000,000 years old. The Western Santa Cruz Tortoise contrastingly is the larger-sized descendant of 1,740,000,000-year-old ancestors.

Scientists judge species as reluctant to interbreed. But Dr. Caccone and colleagues Linda Cayot, Galápagos Conservancy science advisor, and James Gibbs, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry conservation biologist at Syracuse, know of exceptions. Analyzing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from live tortoises and Galápagos, United Kingdom, and Wisconsin museum specimens leaves no doubt of eastern traces in the London-stored western holotype. 

The breakthrough identification merges technological and visual skills. It nudges the noting of Eastern Santa Cruz’s more compressed shells and pointier, smaller shell-plates by retired United States Geological Survey herpetologist Thomas H. Fritts and processing of genetic evidence by Drs. Caccone, Cayot, and Gibbs for publication in PLoS ONE on October 21, 2015. It therefore offers support to those who seek integrity and sustainability for the entire estimated 20,000 to 25,000 Galápagos giant tortoise populations of:

• Española;
• Isabela;
• Pinzón;
• San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santiago.

Eastern and Western Santa Cruz Tortoises indeed prevail despite habitats interconnected by one agricultural zone and threatened by predation of:

• eggs and hatchlings by ants, pigs, rats;
• vegetation and water by cattle, goats. 

Ecologists question more the sustainability of Eastern than of Western Santa Cruz Tortoises. Westerners reside in securer niches sustained by:

• cloud-forest vegetation;
• humid climate;
• lofty bio-geographies.

Don Fausto’s tortoises contrastingly submit to internally stored food and water reserves for 12- to 18-month hungry, thirsty stretches.

Life cycles and natural histories nevertheless take eastern- and western-dwellers along similar survivalist paths of: 

• January to May mating;
• June to December nesting of 20 to 25 eggs per 1 to 4 clutches and 110- to 175-day incubations;
• Maturity from 3-ounce (85.05-gram) newborns into 500-pound (226.79-kilogram) adults;
• 100+-year life expectancies by respectively midday-active, midday-resting cool-season and hot-season forages along predictable routes;
• Pre-twenty-first-century predation for meat, oil.

So they both urge ecological prioritization. 

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Santa Cruz Island tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra porteri), also known as Indefatigable Island tortoise and as Western Santa Cruz tortoise, shares second largest island in Galápagos archipelago with newly identified Chelonoidis donfaustoi.
Santa Cruz Island tortoise; Santa Cruz highlands, Galápagos Islands, eastern Pacific Ocean: putneymark, CC BY SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GNigrita.jpg

skull of museum specimen UWZS 32700, holotype for Chelonoidis sp. nov. from Cerro Fatal in Santa Cruz
A = dorsal, B = ventral, C = occipital, D = frontal, E = lateral view
N. Poulakakis et al., "Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species," PLOS ONE, v. 10, iss. 10 (Oct. 21, 2015), Fig 6 A-E: Nikos Poulakakis et al., CC BY 4.0, via PLOS ONE @ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0138779#pone-0138779-g006

Chelonoidis donfaustoi and namesake Fausto Llerena, caretaker of Lonesome George and staff person of Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Centers, on Santa Cruz Island
Parque Nacional Galápagos (Galápagos National Park); Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Islands, eastern Pacific Ocean: Direccion Parque Nacional Galapagos, handout photo @ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/s/scientists-identify-galapagos-giant-tortoise-species-221137295.html

"New species of Galapagos giant tortoise identified" (1:18)
Uploaded October 22, 2015, by On Demand News to YouTube ~ URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrU-IcRiYAk

Fig 1. Geographic distribution of two known lineages of giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island: Chelonoidis porteri occupy La Reserva; Chelonoidis sp. nov. favor Cerro Fatal (indicated in dark gray).
Light gray area connecting distribution areas of two species represents agricultural land.
N. Poulakakis et al., "Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species," PLOS ONE, v. 10, iss. 10 (Oct. 21, 2015), Fig. 1: N. Poulakakis et al., CC BY 4.0, via PLOS ONE @ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0138779#pone-0138779-g001

Santa Cruz Island (left) and Baltra (right) flank Itabaca Channel, a navigational waterway in the Galápagos Islands.
(Upper left to center) La Troncal Insular E5 (Insular Route E5) is only national highway in Galápagos; Wed., Dec. 7, 2011, 13:33: David Adam Kess, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alvaro_Sevilla_Design_Isla_Santa_Cruz_Galapagos_foto_tomada_desde_el_avión.jpg

Becker, Rachel A. 21 October 2015. “New Giant Tortoise Species Found on Galápagos Islands.” National Geographic > Weird & Wild. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151021-galapagos-tortoise-new-species-animals-science/

Belluck, Pam. 21 October 2015. “New Species of Galápagos Tortoise Is Identified.” The New York Times > Science. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/science/new-species-of-galapagos-tortoise-is-identified.html?_r=0

Casey, Michael. 22 October 2015. “New Species of Tortoise Found on Galapagos Island.” FoxNews > Science > Reptiles. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/10/22/new-species-tortoise-found-on-galapagos-island.html

D’Estries, Michael. 22 October 2015. “New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species Found Hiding in Plain Sight.” Mother Nature Network > Earth Matters > Animals. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/new-galapagos-giant-tortoise-species-found-hiding-plain-site

Dunham, Will. 21 October 2015. “Shell Game: New Species of Galapagos Giant Tortoise Identified.” Yahoo! News. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://news.yahoo.com/shell-game-species-galapagos-giant-tortoise-identified-185408214.html;_ylt=AwrBT7zrOipWA7MAif9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyam1iMGQ4BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM4BHZ0aWQDQjExNTFfMQRzZWMDc3I-

El Espectador (@elespectador). "(En imágenes) 'Chelonoidis donfaustoi', la nueva especie de tortuga gigante en Galápagos." 5:20 p.m. Oct. 21, 2015. Tweet.

• Available @ https://twitter.com/elespectador/status/656988356404867072

Feltman, Rachel. 23 October 2015. “New Species of Giant Tortoise Discovered in Galapagos.” WA Today > Environment > Animals. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/animals/a-new-species-of-giant-tortoise-was-just-discovered-in-the-galapagos-20151022-gkgi76.html 

“Galapagos Giant Tortoise.” Galapagos Conservation Trust > Wildlife > Reptiles. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://galapagosconservation.org.uk/wildlife/galapagos-giant-tortoise/

Geggel, Laura. 21 October 2015. “New Species of Giant Tortoise Found in the Galápagos.” Live Science > Animals. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.livescience.com/52545-new-species-galapagos-tortoise.html

“Giant Tortoises.” Galapagos Conservancy > Biodiversity. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/tortoises/

“Galapagos Researchers Find ‘Extinct’ Tortoises Are Still Alive.” FoxNews > Technology > January 15, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/01/15/galapagos-researchers-find-extinct-tortoises-are-really-alive-well.html

Hathaway-Yale, Bill. 22 October 2015. “Giant Tortoise in Galapagos Is a New Species.” Futurity > Sci-Tech > Science and Technology. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.futurity.org/giant-tortoise-galapagos-1031632/ 

Hillen, Brittany. 22 October 2015. “New Galapagos Islands Tortoise Species Discovered.” SlashGear. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.slashgear.com/new-galapagos-islands-tortoise-species-discovered-22411127/ 

Marris, Emma. 21 October 2015. “Genetics Probe Identifies New Galapagos Tortoise Species. Nature > News. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.nature.com/news/genetics-probe-identifies-new-galapagos-tortoise-species-1.18611

Milliken, Grennan. 21 October 2015. “Discovered: A Brand-new Species of Giant Galapagos Tortoise.” Popular Science > Animals. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.popsci.com/new-species-giant-galapagos-tortoise-is-discovered 

“New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species Found.” Sky News > Culture > Offbeat > 22 October 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.skynews.com.au/culture/offbeat/2015/10/22/new-galapagos-giant-tortoise-species-found.html 

“A New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species Is Named.” Galapagos Conservancy > Newsroom > October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.galapagos.org/newsroom/new-tortoise-species-named/

“New Giant Tortoise Species Identified on Galápagos Islands.” Newsmax > The Wire > 22 October 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/new-giant-tortoise-species/2015/10/22/id/697528/

“New Species of Giant Tortoise Discovered in Galapagos.” BBC News > Latin America & Caribbean > 22 October 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34600468

“New Species of Giant Tortoise Discovered on Galapagos Islands.” teleSURTV > News > Latin America > 21 October 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/New-Species-of-Giant-Tortoise-Discovered-on-Galapagos-Islands-20151021-0032.html 

Nicholls, Henry. 21 October 2014. “Galapagos Gets a New Species of Giant Tortoise.” The Guardian > Science > Animal Magic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2015/oct/21/galapagos-new-species-giant-tortoise

Nuwer, Rachel. 21 October 2015. “New Species of Galapagos Tortoise Found on Santa Cruz Island.” Smithsonian > Science > Nature. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-species-galapagos-tortoise-found-santa-cruz-island-180957004/?no-ist 

Poulakakis, Nikos; Edwards, Danielle L.; Chiari, Ylenia; Garrick, Ryan C.; Russello, Michael A.; Benavides, Edgar; Watkins-Colwell, Gregory J.; Glaberman, Scott; Tapia, Washington; Gibbs, James P.; Cayot, Linda J.; Caccone, Adalgisa. 21 October 2015. "Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Chelonoidis; Testudines: Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island." PLOS ONE, 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.01387

“Scientists Identify New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species.” Phys.Org > Biology > Ecology > October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://phys.org/news/2015-10-scientists-galapagos-giant-tortoise-species.html

Solano, Gonzalo. 21 October 2015. “New Species of Tortoise in Galapagos Claimed.” Business Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-new-species-of-tortoise-in-galapagos-claimed-2015-10

Solano, Gonzalo. 21 October 2015. “There Is a New Giant Turtle on Galapagos.” U.S. News & World Report > News > Science. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/10/21/new-species-of-tortoise-in-galapagos-claimed

Stannard, Ed., 21 October 2015. “New Tortoise Species Found in Galapagos; Yale Biologist in on Discovery.” New Haven Register > News. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20151021/new-tortoise-species-found-in-galapagos-yale-biologist-in-on-discovery

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 21 October 2015. “New Giant Tortoise Species Found in Galapagos.” Retrieved October 24, 2015.

• Available @ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151021151357.htm

• Available @ http://www.updatednews.ca/2015/10/22/new-giant-tortoise-species-in-galapagos/