Photo by Robin Teng on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 20 February 2026, conservationists and the Galápagos National Park Directorate released 158 young giant tortoises carrying Floreana ancestry onto Floreana Island in Ecuador's Galápagos. Tortoises of this lineage had been absent from the island for more than 180 years.
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Key facts
The Floreana giant tortoise was hunted out by sailors and whalers in the 1800s and long considered extinct.
In 2000, scientists found hybrid tortoises with Floreana ancestry on Wolf Volcano, Isabela Island; adults collected in 2015 and 2020 were selectively bred on Santa Cruz Island.
The released tortoises are 12 to 14 years old and are being tracked to guide future management.
This is the first of 12 native species that the Floreana Island Ecological Restoration Project plans to bring back, including the Floreana mockingbird.
Why it matters
Giant tortoises shape their islands by grazing and spreading seeds, so their return should help restore Floreana's plant life. The project also shows how genetic detective work and captive breeding can recover a lineage that was thought lost.
Worth noting
The released animals are hybrids bred to maximize Floreana ancestry, not pure members of the original population. Floreana is home to about 160 people, and the wider restoration depends on removing invasive mammals and keeping new ones out.
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