CHELONOIDIS PHANTASTICUS

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Context: A giant tortoise, found alive in 2019, has been confirmed to belong a Galápagos species long believed extinct. The tortoise is the first of her species, Chelonoidis phantasticus, to be identified in more than a century.

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Chelonoidis phantasticus means “fantastic giant tortoise”. Commonly called the Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise, the species was so far known only from a single individual, collected in 1906.
The IUCN listed it as critically endangered & possibly extinct.
Its habitat is largely dry brush land at lower elevations, but much of that habitat has been destroyed by extensive lava flows.

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DIFFERENCE
Turtle	Tortoise
Most turtles are primarily water-dwelling reptiles	Tortoises are land-dwelling reptiles
Turtles are usually omnivores	Tortoises are primarily herbivores
Turtles generally have lighter shells on their backs	Tortoises have much heavier and robust shells
Not all turtles are Tortoises	All tortoises are turtles, as they belong to the order Testudines
Turtles usually have a shorter life span from 20-40 years	Tortoises usually have a long life from 80-150 years