Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the subspecies.
In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world.
George served as a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout
the world.
Discovery George was first seen on the island of Pinta
on 1 November 1971 by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi.
The island's vegetation had been devastated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous
C. n.
abingdonii population had been reduced to a single individual.
It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel.
Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, George
was penned with two females of a different subspecies.
Although eggs were produced, none hatched.
The Pinta tortoise was pronounced functionally extinct as George was in captivity.
Mating attempts
Over the decades, all attempts at mating Lonesome George had been unsuccessful, due to the lack
of females of his own subspecies.
This prompted researchers at the Darwin Station to offer a $10,000 reward for a suitable mate.
Until January 2011, George was penned with two females of the subspecies Chelonoidis
nigra becki, in the hope his genotype would be retained in any resulting progeny.
This subspecies was then thought to be genetically closest to George's; however, any potential
offspring would have been intergrades, not purebreds of the Pinta subspecies.
In July 2008, George mated with one of his female companions.
Thirteen eggs were collected and placed in incubators.
On 11 November 2008, the Charles Darwin Foundation reported 80% of the eggs showed weight loss
characteristic of being inviable.
By December 2008, the remaining eggs had failed to hatch and x-rays showed they were inviable.
On 23 July 2009, exactly one year after announcing George had mated, the Galápagos National
Park announced one of George's female companions had laid a second clutch of five eggs.
The park authority expressed its hope for the second clutch of eggs, which it said were
in perfect condition.
The eggs were moved to an incubator, but on 16 December, it was announced the incubation
period had ended and the eggs were inviable.
In November 1999, scientists reported Lonesome George was "very closely related to tortoises"
from Española Island and San Cristóbal Island.
On 20 January 2011, two individual C. n.
hoodensis female partners were imported to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where
George lived.
Death On 24 June 2012, at 8:00 am local time, Edwin
Naula, Director of the Galápagos National Park, announced that Lonesome George had been
found dead by his caretaker of 40 years, Fausto Llerena.
Naula suspects that the cause of death was heart failure consistent with the end of the
natural life cycle of a tortoise.
A necropsy confirmed that he died of "old age".
Lonesome George was sent to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to be
preserved by taxidermists.
After a short display at the museum, it was expected that Lonesome George would be returned
to the Galápagos and will be displayed at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa
Cruz Island for future generations to see.However, a dispute has broken out between an Ecuadorean
ministry and the Galapagos Islands over where the preserved body of a Galapagos giant tortoise
should be housed.
The Ecuadorean government wants him to be shown in the capital Quito But the Galapagos
local mayor says Lonesome George was a symbol of the islands and should return home.
Most sources state Lonesome George was more than 100 years old, though others such as
David Attenborough said he was probably in his eighties or possibly even younger.
Even one hundred is not especially old for a Galápagos tortoise.
Biological conservation In November 2012, in the journal Biological
Conservation, researchers reported identifying 17 tortoises that are partially descended
from the same species as Lonesome George, leading them to speculate that related purebred
individuals of that species may still be alive.
In popular culture The Futurama episode Naturama features Lonesome
Hubert, a character inspired by Lonesome George.
There is a character in The Wild Thornberrys episode 'Two's Company' called Lonesome Jake;
this character is also a giant tortoise and is thought by other characters for the majority
of the episode to be the last of his species.
See also The Life Cairn
Mr Turpen References