Abstract
Conservation policy in the giant Galpagos tortoise, an iconic endangered animal, has been assisted by genetic markers for 15 years: a dozen loci have been used to delineate thirteen (sub)species, between which hybridization is prevented. Here, comparative re-analysis of a previously published NGS data set reveals a con˛ict with traditional markers. Genetic diversity and population substructure in the giant Galpagos tortoise are found to be particularly low, questioning the genetic relevance of current conservation prac-tices. Further examination of giant Galapagos tortoise population genomics is critically needed.