Geochelone nigra abingdoni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Abingdon Island Tortoise | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lonesome George, a Galápagos Tortoise suspected to be the last surviving member of his subspecies
|
||||||||||||||||
| Conservation status | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Trinomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Geochelone nigra abingdoni (Günther, 1877) |
Lonesome George (Spanish: Solitario Jorge) is the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise, subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni, one of eleven subspecies of Galápagos tortoise native to the Galápagos Islands.[1][2] He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally.[3] It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel.
George was first seen on the island of Pinta on 1 December 1971 by American snail biologist Joseph Vagvolgyi. The island's vegetation had been decimated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous G. n. abingdoni population had been reduced to a single individual. Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station, George was penned with two females of a different subspecies, Geochelone nigra becki from Wolf Island, in the hope that his genotype would be retained in the resulting progeny. Any offspring successfully hatched from George and his consorts would be intergrades, not purebreds of the Pinta subspecies.[4]
George is estimated to be 60–90 years of age, and is in good health.[4] A prolonged effort to exterminate goats introduced to Pinta is now complete and the vegetation of the island is starting to return to its former state.
In May 2007, analysis of genomic microsatellites (DNA sequences) suggested that other individuals of Geochelone nigra abingdoni may still exist.[5] Researchers have identified one male tortoise from the neighboring Galápagos island of Isabela which has half his genes in common with George's subspecies. This animal must be a first generation intergrade between the subspecies of the islands Isabela and Pinta.[5] It is possible that a pure Pinta tortoise lives among the 2,000 tortoises on Isabela.[6]
Attempts at mating Lonesome George were unsuccessful for several decades, possibly due to the lack of a female of his own subspecies, and prompted researchers at the Darwin Station to offer a $10,000 reward for a suitable mate.[2] On July 21 2008, it was reported that George had unexpectedly mated with one of his female companions. A total of thirteen eggs were collected and placed in incubators.[7] However, on November 11 2008, The Charles Darwin Research Center reported that 80% of the eggs showed weight loss characteristic of being infertile.[7][8] To the disappointment of the Darwin Center, by December 2008 the remaining eggs had failed to hatch and x-rays had showed them to be infertile.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Geochelone nigra, IUCN Red List, http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/9011/summ
- ^ a b Gardner, Simon (February 6 2001), Lonesome George faces own Galapagos tortoise curse, http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/9708/newsDate/06-Feb-2001/story.htm
- ^ Nicholls, H (2006), Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon, London: Macmillan Science, ISBN 1-4039-4576-4, http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/henry
- ^ a b "Joy at giant tortoise eggs". BBC. 23 July 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7522573.stm.
- ^ a b Russello, Michael A.; Beheregaray, Luciano B.; Gibbs, James P.; Fritts, Thomas; Havill, Nathan; Powell, Jeffrey R.; Caccone., Adalgisa (1 May 2007), "Lonesome George is not alone among Galápagos tortoises", Current Biology 17 (9): R317–R318, doi:, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VRT-4NM6G0N-9-2&_cdi=6243&_user=10&_orig=search&_coverDate=05%2F01%2F2007&_sk=999829990&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzW-zSkzS&md5=1b2a31ba3a0caff63c814a98176042b1&ie=/sdarticle.pdf
- ^ "Iconic tortoise George may not be last of his kind". 2007-05-01. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/01/1911805.htm. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
- ^ a b "Dwindling Hopes of Offspring from Lonesome". Charles Darwin Foundation. http://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/newsroom/news-releases/2008-11-11_george_eg_fcd. Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
- ^ "Galapagos bachelor tortoise struggles to be a dad". CBC. 11 November 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/11/11/tortoise.html?ref=rss.
- ^ "Lonesome George's first sex in decades ends in disappointment". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/3566021/Lonesome-Georges-first-sex-in-decades-ends-in-disappointment.html. Retrieved on 27 January 2009.
Researchers
Adalgisa Caccone Matt Davis
[edit] External links
- Charles Darwin Research Station Fact Sheet - Pinta giant tortoise (Geochelone abingdoni)
- Naked Scientists audio discussion of Lonesome George
- Article on Lonesome George The Giant Tortoise of Galapagos Island.
