TURTLE IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION HAD 800 YOUNG AND SAVES ITS SPECIES

The turtle became the "savior of his species", which was on the verge of extinction.

Diego, an endangered turtle, saved his species after having 800 offspring.

The turtle is a Chelonoidis hoodensis, a type of giant tortoise endemic to the island of Hispaniola, one of the islands that make up the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. Named Diego, the turtle saved its endangered species after having 800 young in Puerto Ayora, capital of Santa Cruz Island, in the Galapagos, in 2016.

Half a century ago, there were only 12 living survivors of the species: Diego, another male and 10 females. The researchers found that 40% of the babies found in Española are direct descendants of Diego.

Diego was born more than a century ago and shares a pen in a turtle breeding center with six females. The animal was repatriated from the American zoo in San Diego, California in the year of 1976.

The event occurred in September 2016 but Diego's story comes out again because the scientists did not know how much each turtle had contributed with the repopulation until six years ago a genetic analysis showed that  Diego was the father of 40% of the young  and now the species is no longer in danger. The director of this initiative explained that Diego ...

Diego was relocated to a breeding center on Santa Cruz Island, one of the Galápagos, and was shown as the "dominant" among the three selected to recover his species. It weighs about 80 kilos and measures 1.5 meters in length.