Floreana giant tortoise set to return after nearly 200 years
Feb 23rd 2026
Genetic tests found Floreana ancestry in tortoises on Isabela, prompting a captive breeding program that has produced hundreds of hatchlings and plans to reintroduce the species to Floreana.
- The Floreana giant tortoise was thought extinct by the 1840s after intensive hunting by 19th century whalers.
- Whalers likely moved tortoises between islands and DNA from saddleback tortoises on Wolf volcano showed Floreana genetic signatures.
- A 2008 survey flagged 86 mixed pedigree animals and DNA analysis later identified 23 suitable founders moved into a Santa Cruz breeding program.
- The formal breeding program launched in 2017 and by 2025 produced more than 600 hatchlings, with about 300 considered large enough for release.
- Reintroduction depends on invasive species control on Floreana, including rat and feral cat eradication already underway.
- Conservationists are using hybrid founders to preserve genetic diversity while working to restore a population that resembles the original Floreana tortoise.