Earlier today the news cards on my Google iPhone app included a story about a giant tortoise that hasn’t been seen for more than 100 years that was recently discovered on the Galapagos Island of Fernandina.
Huh, that’s cool, I thought, and went about my day looking for other things to write about. But now, Google news’ curated feed has provided another story, this time about a giant bee that hasn’t been seen in 38 years having just been rediscovered in Indonesia.
Okay, now I have a story.
Two reports of animals previously thought to be extinct popping up on the same day? I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly interesting to me.
The Fernandina Giant Tortoise was last seen alive in 1906. Last Sunday, a female member of the species — believed to be more than 100 years old — was found during an expedition, according to a statement from Ecuador’s government.
CNN reports that Washington Tapia, director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative (GTRI) and leader of the expedition, said further genetic studies would be conducted to make sure the tortoise really is a member of the long-though extinct species.
Tapia’s expedition team also reportedly found additional tracks and scents that may belong to other members of the species, meaning this grand old lady might not be alone.
On the other side of the world, a horrifying, adult thumb-sized, wasp-like, winged monster with horns was discovered.
Wallace’s Giant Bee (named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who found the bee in 1958), was last seen in 1981. Last month, a group of brave souls, including conservation photographer Clay Bolt, took a five-day expedition to find the bee – and succeeded. They retraced Wallace’s steps in Indonesia and found a nest.
“I simply couldn’t believe it,” Bolt wrote for the Global Wildlife Conservation. “We had discovered Wallace’s Giant Bee.”
“My goal was to be the first person to make a photo of a living Wallace’s Giant Bee and I had achieved that goal,” he added.
He explains on the website his incredible journey to find the bee alive, which started nearly two decades ago when he first learned of Wallace and his travels.
The giant bee’s build “communal nests on termite dwellings,” according to CBS news. The creatures are about 1.5 inches long, hava a 2.5 inch wingspan, and have been referred to as a “nightmare bee.” (Have you clicked on a link to view a picture of this bee yet?)
While the bee does look horrifying, it is a bee, so it probably isn’t itching to sting you unless it feels threatened (and again, it’s in a part of Indonesia where it wasn’t found for 38 years) but still, I’m certainly not going to sleep well tonight knowing this creature is out there somewhere. But cheers to Bolt for taking an interest in the discovery and conservation of such an amazing bee.
“But no matter what, just knowing that this bee’s giant wings go thrumming through this ancient Indonesian forest helps me feel that, in a world of so much loss, hope and wonder still do exist,” he wrote.