Lonesome George, last-of-his-kind Galapagos tortoise, dies

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/24/us-ecuador-tortoise-idUSBRE85N0PI20120624

by adventureful • 14 years ago

6 7 14 years ago

tomfakes• 14 years ago

It's humbling to think of seeing an entire subspecies being wiped out by this one simple event.

I saw Lonesome George in person just last December - although at a fair distance (he wasn't particularly friendly to the tourists!)

On the same trip we saw a whole new hybrid species that had never been seen before - as confirmed by the scientists at the same place that George lived. The whole cycle of evolution is visible in a very small and isolated location.

batista• 14 years ago

>The whole cycle of evolution is visible in a very small and isolated location.

In Galapagos? Who would have thought!

apricot13• 14 years ago

Its a bit strange to have an article about the last of a kind animal doesn't have a photo? :(

"[] often had to scramble with each other to take pictures of one of the rarest creatures on Earth."

Wingman4l7• 14 years ago

Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lonesome_George_in_profile...

And another: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lonesome_George_-Pinta_gia...

Indyan• 14 years ago

- "Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind." - "Some 20,000 giant tortoises still live on the Galapagos." That confused me a bit. My interpretation is that Lonesome George belonged to a species of giant tortoises that is not extinct, but there are still several other species of giant tortoises in the wild. Is that correct?

kayhi• 14 years ago

I took it to mean there are 20k left, but are of different species.

pan69• 14 years ago

Poor George. It's a terrible thing that us humans have steeped this low.

This is a QI segment where they discuss the near extinction of tortoises:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU3sZgh5xeM#t=8m42s

Lonesome George, last-of-his-kind Galapagos tortoise, dies

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