section_path: Successful de-extinctions/Floreana giant tortoise
section_name: Floreana giant tortoise
paragraph_text: Floreana giant tortoise
  
  The Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) is a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise endemic to Floreana Island, Ecuador that is believed to have become extinct by 1850 due to overexploitation, predation, and habitat degradation by sailors and invasive species such as feral livestock, rodents, and stray dogs and cats. A deliberate wildfire started by Thomas Chappel, a crew member of the Essex in 1820 is also cited as a reason for the subspecies initial decline. In 2012, Floreana and Volcán Wolf tortoise hybrids were discovered Isabela Island. Allegedly, these tortoises were imported or abandoned on the island in the early 19th century, allowing them to hybridise with the native subspecies. In 2017, a breeding programme was established to revive the subspecies through back breeding the hybrids to regain their genetic purity. As of 2025, 400 Floreana giant tortoises have been hatched on Santa Cruz Island with plans to release them into the wild on Floreana Island after the successful extirpation of invasive species. However, IUCN has yet to update the status of the subspecies due to lack of a genetically pure specimen at the time of the 2017 evaluation and the de-extinct subspecies has yet to reproduce naturally in the wild.