On Ecuador's Galapagoes Islands, there is a new species that have been
identified. There are the only species that is so genetically distinct
from the rest of the tortoises on that island. There are 250 animals
living on the Santa Cruz island. The new species, Chelonoidis donfaustoi,
and very distinct from the other tortoises after analyzing that there
are 25 mitochondrial DNA mutations that separate the two groups. Based
on data,
Michel Milinkovitch, a conservation geneticist at the University of
Geneva, states that the two groups are so distanced that they are
considered to be two separate species.
I find it kind of cool to discover more
species that were not found earlier. Physically, they don't look that
distinct from each other. However based on the data and the DNA
mutations found, the two groups are considered to be two separate
groups. In order for this species to be able to survive, researchers
would have to look into how to protect them from other species they are
endangered from. I wonder how many more species we are yet to discover
which may look like species that are known but are distinct because of
DNA mutation.
It's always interesting to find new species of animals, especially on the Galapagoes Islands since those islands have been studies for a while by researchers. It's also quite odd that these tortoises are genetically distinct from the rest of the tortoises.
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