Eastern Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise
- Discovered: 2015
We have actually referenced this specific species before in our article about endangered species. The Galapagos Tortoise is already quite endangered but a new species known as Chelonoidis donfaustoi is even more so. Found in 2015, they all live in an arid inland area of the Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Island chain where roughly 250 large tortoises reside. It was found through DNA evidence that this species differed from other tortoises in the area, resulting in the “new animal species” discovery. Mostly referred to as the Eastern Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise, only roughly 12 of them are known to exist right now.