It had been more than 100 years since anyone saw a giant tortoise on the Galapagos’ Fernandina Island, until last February. This week the Parque Nacional Galápagos & the Galapagos Conservancy will brave the elements—including a geologically active volcano, scorching sunlight, and razor-sharp lava—to see if they can find additional animals.
In the meantime, they await the results of a genetic test that will reveal whether the female found in February is, in fact, the Fernandina Galapagos Tortoise, one of Global Wildlife Conservation’s most wanted lost species, or if she is a different species from another island.
