Galápagos Tortoise

The Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise, a species presumed extinct since 1906, was rediscovered in February 2019 when a single female was found on the remote Galápagos Islands. The discovery was made during filming for season two of Extinct or Alive by biologist Washington Tapia-Aguilera, four Ecuadorian park rangers, and Forrest Galante's team. Trace evidence found on the expedition indicated that more individuals likely exist in the wild, and new searches were being planned to find a male Fernandina tortoise that could potentially save the species. Galante and his team claimed the discovery, but this has been disputed by Tapia-Aguilera, who said that Ecuadorian park ranger Jeffreys Málaga was the one that knew the land, tracked the tortoise, and ultimately made the discovery before calling over the rest of the team.