GALAPAGOS ISLAND: The Galapagos National Park has said that scientists discovered a type of giant tortoise living on San Cristobal island in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands which does not belong to the species it was previously thought to be.

In a statement on Thursday, the park said a study determined that the giant tortoises previously identified as Chelonoidis chathamensis corresponds genetically to a different species.

“The scientists concluded that nearly 8,000 tortoises which exist today on San Cristobal are not Chelonoidis chathamensis, but correspond to a completely new lineage that has not yet been described,” the park added.

According to the park’s statement, the discovery was made following a study conducted by Newcastle University, Yale University and the Galapagos Conservancy, which involved a genetic comparison of the animals with a sample from already described species.

The lineage previously thought to correspond to the San Cristobal tortoises may belong to an extinct species that cohabited with the surviving tortoises, it said.

“The team of investigators is recovering more DNA from the species thought to be extinct to clarify the state of the tortoises and determine how these two species, the living and the extinct, relate,” the statement added.

“For them, the name Chelonoidis chathamensis should be assigned to the disappeared species and the living taxon should receive a new name,” it said.

Genetic studies of surviving Galapagos tortoises began in 1995, and four years later scientists began studying samples from extinct species.

The Galapagos, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through its rich biodiversity, is home to a large variety of animals, such as flamingos, albatross and cormorants.

Ecuador recently extended the marine reserve around the islands by 23,166-square miles.