Photos of young tortoises bred to return to the home of their ancestors on the Galápagos

FLOREANA ISLAND, Galapagos (AP) — Juvenile tortoises with Floreana ancestry were brought to their native island from the Galápagos National Park’s breeding center on Santa Cruz Island, as part of a project to restore the species to its native habitat

The original Floreana giant tortoise was driven to extinction in the 19th century largely after sailors and whalers took tortoises for food. Later, introduced animals such as rats and feral cats preyed on eggs and hatchlings, while other invasive species degraded habitat and food sources.

Scientists later found tortoises with Floreana ancestry on other islands and began selectively breeding hybrids for reintroduction once juveniles are large enough to survive.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A juvenile giant tortoise walks away after being released on Floreana Island as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Juvenile giant tortoises walk on Floreana Island after being transported from a breeding center on Santa Cruz for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Galapagos National Park rangers attach a tracking device to a juvenile giant tortoise before its release on Floreana Island as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native habitat in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Galapagos National Park rangers unload juvenile giant tortoises on Floreana Island after transporting them from a breeding center in Santa Cruz Island, for release as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Galapagos National Park rangers carry juvenile giant tortoises up a hill for release on Floreana Island as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native habitat in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A juvenile giant tortoise sits in a box before its release on Floreana Island as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native habitat in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz Island for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Juvenile giant tortoises are transported from a breeding center on Santa Cruz to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Juvenile giant tortoises are loaded onto a boat on Santa Cruz for transport to Floreana Island for release as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Galapagos National Park rangers unload juvenile giant tortoises on Floreana Island after transporting them from a breeding center in Santa Cruz as part of a project to reintroduce the Floreana giant tortoise to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Juvenile giant tortoises are released on Floreana Island as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native habitat in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Galapagos National Park rangers unload juvenile giant tortoises on Floreana Island after transporting them from a breeding center in Santa Cruz Island, for release as part of a project to reintroduce the species to its native island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — The next time you see a senior citizen barreling down the mountain, maybe doing a double-cork while he's at it, don’t think twice. That might just be your neighborhood's friendly new Olympic champion.

Alex Ferreira, the freeskier who occasionally dons prosthetics to look 80 and calls his alter ego “Hotdog Hans" when he's not kicking butt in the halfpipe, added a gold medal Friday night to the silver and bronze he'd won at the last two games to “finish the rainbow,” as his mother said.

The 31-year-old, a longtime fixture on the slopes and in the schools and rec centers in Aspen, Colorado, also put America in the win column for the first time in two weeks of halfpipe, slopestyle and big air action at the Livigno Snow Park.

“I’m going to drink copious amounts of beer,” Ferreira said when asked how he would celebrate.

He’s fun like that. This was a popular victory all across the park, squeezed out of a tight, brutal, all-night battle with Estonia’s Henry Sildaru — who skis slopestyle and big air, too, just like Eileen Gu — and Canada’s Brendan Mackay.

Bedlam and tears broke out in the stands after Mackay laid down the night’s last run, a solid one, but came up 2.75 points short of Ferreira's winning score: 93.75.

When the Canadian's mark came up, Ferreira bent to one knee and flashed a smile that lit up the mountain.

“Best moment of my life,” he said.

Asked what the best thing about the new gold medalist was, Mackay said there was too much to list.

“But honestly, the biggest thing that stands out about Alex, is that he is just an incredibly nice guy,” he said.

Among those near the medal stand to congratulate Ferreira was two-time Olympic titlist David Wise, who made the trip despite not making the Olympic team. He was ranked eighth in the world in halfpipe this season — a true sign of how deep the American team runs.

Also sharing hugs was Nick Goepper, the American three-time medalist in slopestyle who switched to the halfpipe in search of his first gold.

In the evening’s most visceral sign of what this contest really meant, Goepper threw caution to the wind on his last run and flung his body high above the halfpipe, his back slamming wickedly on the deck before he bounced to the bottom of the pipe.

He was lucky to walk away from that — not as fortunate that Mackay's 91 on the last run of the night bumped him from third to fourth by a scant 2 points.

“To go for it in that moment took serious guts,” Ferreira said. “He is a real man.”

Clutch skiing and huge crashes were only part of the drama that played out among these halfpipe riders. The show started two weeks earlier.

American Hunter Hess opened the morning’s qualifying by landing a good run, then putting his thumb and forefinger in the shape of an “L,” in a nod to the eruption that occurred Feb. 8 when President Donald Trump called Hess a “total Loser,” in response to Hess’ saying “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

“I had a week that was pretty challenging,” Hess said after qualifying, speaking of the threats and vitriol lobbed his way after the president weighed in. He finished 10th in the final and did not stop for interviews.

Ferreira, not surprisingly, spent the entire aftermath of the contest smiling. There's more to come.

He has already shot six episodes of his YouTube streamer “Hotdog Hans," an entertaining trip to the mountain in which the 80-something daredevil does truck-driver grabs and 1080s in front of unsuspecting resort goers who cannot believe their eyes.

“Just trying to bring some humor and funniness to the world,” he explained.

In between the fun and games lies a more serious pursuit.

Ferreira went 7 for 7 in World Cup events in 2024 — the sort of undefeated streak that really doesn't happen much in sports, especially not in this one, where talent, like the medals, are spread very evenly across the United States, Canada, Estonia — the world.

Those sort of streaks, in Olympic off-years, can sometimes leave a guy wondering.

“You don't want to peak two years before the Games," said Gus Kenworthy, the 2014 slopestyle silver medalist who finished sixth in this one. “But I'm stoked for him that it worked out tonight. It was one of the best runs I've seen him do in a long time, maybe ever, and I'm happy.”

When Ferreira's skis smacked down lightly on the fifth of five butter-smooth landings in the contest winner, he started whipping around his right ski pole — his signature move in what now goes down as his signature win.

A few minutes later, his sisters and parents were crying and he was on the top step of the podium, singing out loud as the “Star-Spangled Banner” played for the first time at the Livigno Snow Park.

He used to be the best freeskier in the world without an Olympic title. Not anymore.

“He had the silver, the bronze and he needed the gold,” said Alex’s mother, Colleen Ferreira. “He was driven. A year ago, he said he was going to do this, and he did it.”

AP Sports Writer Joseph Wilson contributed.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Alex Ferreira reacts during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Gold medalist United States' Alex Ferreira celebrates his win in the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Alex Ferreira reacts to his score during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Estonia's Henry Sildaru competes during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Alex Ferreira reacts during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

United States' Alex Ferreira competes during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

United States' Alex Ferreira celebrates during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

United States' Alex Ferreira reacts during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

United States' Hunter Hess competes during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

United States' Hunter Hess reacts during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

United States' Nick Goepper competes during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)