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Fernandina Island Galápagos Tortoise
''Chelonoidis niger phantasticus'' (commonly known as the Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise or Narborough Island giant tortoise) is a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise that was discovered in 1906 and thought extinct, until a single female was discovered living on Fernandina Island by an expedition in February 2019. In May 2021, a genetic test carried out by scientists from the California Academy of Sciences confirmed that the single female tortoise discovered in 2019 is from the subspecies ''Chelonoidis niger phantasticus''. The subspecies name has often been misspelled as ''phantastica'', an error introduced in the 1980s when ''Chelonoidis'' was elevated to genus and mistakenly treated as feminine, an error recognized and fixed in 2017. Taxonomy ''Chelonoidis niger phantasticus'' is considered a subspecies of ''Chelonoidis niger'', sometimes considered a valid species itself alongside all other subspecies. Rhodin et al. (2010) lists them separately but under the heading "''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several examples, but explicitly designated as the holotype. Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a holotype is one of several kinds of name-bearing types. In the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) and ICZN, the definitions of types are similar in intent but not identical in terminology or underlying concept. For example, the holotype for the butterfly '' Plebejus idas longinus'' is a preserved specimen of that subspecies, held by the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. In botany and mycology, an isotype is a duplicate of the holotype, generally pieces from the same individual plant or samples from the same genetic individual. A holotype is not necessarily "ty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extinct Or Alive
''Extinct or Alive'' is an American wildlife documentary television programme produced for Animal Planet by Hot Snakes Media of New York City, the United States. It is hosted by wildlife biologist and television personality Forrest Galante, who travels to different locations around the globe to learn about possibly extinct animals and whether or not there is a chance that they may still be extant. The series has claimed to of been involved in the rediscoveries of the Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise and Rio Apaporis caiman, along with the possible rediscoveries of the Zanzibar leopard and Cape lion Additionally, the series recorded the first ever footage of Miller's langur. however, aside from the Miller's Langur, it is still debated by scientists and there is yet to be any evidence that Forrest Galante or any of the group actually found these animals, aside from a few sharks which were already known to not be extinct. Cast * Forrest Galante – Host and team leader ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Reptiles Of The Galápagos Islands
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an i ... for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turtles Of South America
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked turtles), which differ in the way the head retracts. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles, including land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins. They are found on most continents, some islands and, in the case of sea turtles, much of the ocean. Like other amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. Turtle shells are made mostly of bone; the upper part is the domed carapace, while the underside is the flatter plastron or belly-plate. Its outer surface is covered in scales made of keratin, the material of hair, horns, and claws. The carapace bones develop from ribs that grow sideways and develop into broad flat plates that joi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species have subspecies, but for those that do there must be at least two. Subspecies is abbreviated as subsp. or ssp. and the singular and plural forms are the same ("the subspecies is" or "the subspecies are"). In zoology, under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the subspecies is the only taxonomic rank below that of species that can receive a name. In botany and mycology, under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, other infraspecific name, infraspecific ranks, such as variety (botany), variety, may be named. In bacteriology and virology, under standard International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, bacterial nomenclature and virus clas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chelonoidis
''Chelonoidis'' is a genus of turtles in the tortoise family erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1835. They are found in South America and the Galápagos Islands, and formerly had a wide distribution in the West Indies. The multiple subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise (''C. niger'') are among the largest extant terrestrial chelonians. Giant members of the genus, such as Lutz's giant tortoise (''C. lutzae'') were also present in mainland South America and the West Indies during the Pleistocene, and the latter into the Holocene. Taxonomy They were formerly assigned to '' Geochelone'', but a 2006 genetic analysis indicated that they were actually most closely related to hingeback tortoises. However, a more recent genetic analysis of mtDNA has found that they are actually most closely related to the lineage containing '' Centrochelys'' and '' Geochelone''. Their ancestors apparently floated across the Atlantic from Africa to South America in the Oligocene. This crossing was made ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lonesome George
Lonesome George ( or , 1910 – June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger abingdonii'') and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world. Discovery George was first seen on the island of Pinta on November 1, 1971, by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi. The island's vegetation had been devastated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous ''C. n. abingdonii'' population had been reduced to a single individual. It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel. He was relocated for his own safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, where he spent his life under the care of Fausto Llerena, for whom the tortoise breeding center is named. It was hoped that more Pinta Island tortoises woul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lazarus Taxon
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon (plural ''taxa'') is a taxon that disappears for one or more periods from the fossil record, only to appear again either in later fossil records, or as actual living organisms, and often in isolated, obscure, or otherwise very specialized habitats. Likewise in conservation biology and ecology, it can refer to species or populations that were mistakenly thought to be extinct, and are rediscovered to be still living. The term Lazarus taxon was coined by Karl W. Flessa and David Jablonski in 1983 and was then expanded by Jablonski in 1986. Paul Wignall and Michael Benton defined Lazarus taxa as, "At times of biotic crisis many taxa go extinct, but others only temporarily disappeared from the fossil record, often for intervals measured in millions of years, before reappearing unchanged". Earlier work also supports the concept though without using the name Lazarus taxon, like work by Christopher R. C. Paul. The term refers to the story in the Christ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floreana Giant Tortoise
The Floreana giant tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger niger''), also known as the Charles Island giant tortoise, is a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise endemic to the Galápagos archipelago in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet ''niger'' (‘black’) probably refers to the colouration of the holotype specimen. The species name has often been misspelled as ''nigra'', an error introduced in the 1980s when ''Chelonoidis'' was elevated to genus and mistakenly treated as feminine, an error recognized and fixed in 2017. In 2012, hybrids of the subspecies with '' Chelonoidis becki'' were discovered on Isabela Island. Since then, back breeding has been used to recreate the original subspecies and help it regain its genetic purity. As of 2025, 400 tortoises have been hatched in captivity on Santa Cruz Island. However, the IUCN has yet to update the subspecies' status due to lack of a genetically pure specimen at the time of the 2017 evaluation. Taxonomy Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Yale was established as the Collegiate School in 1701 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalist clergy of the Connecticut Colony. Originally restricted to instructing ministers in theology and sacred languages, the school's curriculum expanded, incorporating humanities and sciences by the time of the American Revolution. In the 19th century, the college expanded into graduate and professional instruction, awarding the first Doctor of Philosophy, PhD in the United States in 1861 and organizing as a university in 1887. Yale's faculty and student populations grew rapidly after 1890 due to the expansion of the physical campus and its scientif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salon (website)
''Salon'' is an American politically progressive and liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including reviews and articles about books, films, and music; articles about "modern life", including friendships, human sexual behavior, and relationships; and reviews and articles about technology, with a particular focus on the free and open-source software (FOSS) movement. According to the senior contributing writer for the ''American Journalism Review'', Paul Farhi, ''Salon'' offers "provocative (if predictably liberal) political commentary and lots of sex." In 2008, ''Salon'' launched the interactive initiative '' Open Salon'', a social content site/blog network for its readers. Originally a curated site with some of its content being featured on ''Salon'', it fell into editorial neglect and was closed in March 2015. Responding to the qu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forrest Galante
Forrest Galante (born March 31, 1988) is an American outdoor adventurer and television personality. He primarily seeks out animals on the brink of extinction. He is the host of the television shows ''Extinct or Alive'' on Animal Planet and "Mysterious Creatures with Forrest Galante," as well as multiple Shark Week shows. Early life Shortly after his birth in California, Galante and his family moved to Harare, Zimbabwe, where his mother ran a safari business. He and his sister were raised on a farm. Throughout his youth, Galante spent time exploring the African bush, learning to wrangle snakes, trap small animals, and snorkel the reefs of the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique. In Zimbabwe, he attended an English boarding school and headed up the Junior Herpetology Society, studying native flora and fauna. In 2001, following the political uprising in Zimbabwe, which led to the invasion and burning of the family farm, Galante was forced to return to California. He resumed his edu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
