A GIANT Galapagos tortoise recently discovered after it was thought to be extinct could reproduce with 100-year-old sperm still inside her from when she last mated, experts say.

The giant Fernandina Tortoise was found last month on the remote island of Fernandina in the Galapagos after the species had not been spotted since 1906.

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News of this historic discovery was first downplayed because it was originally believed she would need a male partner in order to prevent the species from going extinct.

Forrest Galante, the biologist and Animal Planet presenter who discovered the reptile, said the female could still save her species because of her ability to store fertile sperm until she needs it.

The tortoise, now named Fern, is about 110 years old and when she gains weight from being in captivity may surprise conservationists by laying eggs if she has the decades-old sperm inside her.

Galante told the Mirror Online: “It’s incredible, but female tortoises are able to withhold viable sperm within them for decades, then produce offspring without having to mate a second time.

“Nobody knows anything about the Fernandina tortoise because it’s the first one ever found, but given the harshness of the environment and the uniqueness of the animal, it’s certainly possible that she is able to hold viable sperm for 100 years.”