Lonesome George (Spanish: Solitario George or Jorge, c. 1910 – June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise (scientific name: Chelonoidis niger abingdonii) and the final known member of his subspecies. In his later years, he was recognized as the rarest living creature on Earth. George is a significant symbol for efforts to protect wildlife in the Galápagos Islands and globally.

Discovery

George was first discovered on Pinta Island on November 1, 1971, by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi. The island's plants had been severely damaged by feral goats, and the native C. n. abingdonii tortoise population had been reduced to only one individual. It is believed that George was named after a character portrayed by American actor George Gobel. To protect him, George was moved to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, where he lived under the care of Fausto Llerena, after whom the tortoise breeding center is named.

Scientists hoped to find more Pinta Island tortoises, either on the island or in zoos, similar to the discovery of a male tortoise from Española Island in San Diego. No additional Pinta Island tortoises were found. The Pinta Island tortoise was declared functionally extinct because George was the last known individual and remained in captivity.

Mating attempts

Over many years, all efforts to help Lonesome George find a mate had failed. This led researchers at the Darwin Station to offer a $10,000 reward for a suitable partner.

Until January 2011, George lived with two female tortoises of the species Chelonoidis niger becki (from the Wolf Volcano area of Isabela Island). Scientists hoped that George’s genetic makeup would be passed on to any offspring. At the time, this species was believed to be the closest match to George’s genes. However, any babies born would have been hybrids, not pure members of the Pinta Island species.

In July 2008, George mated with one of the females. Thirteen eggs were collected and placed in incubators. On November 11, 2008, the Charles Darwin Foundation reported that 80% of the eggs showed signs of weight loss, which means they were unlikely to survive. By December 2008, the remaining eggs also failed to hatch. X-rays confirmed they were not viable.

On July 23, 2009, exactly one year after George’s first mating, the Galápagos National Park announced that one of his female companions had laid a second group of five eggs. Officials said the eggs were in good condition. They were moved to an incubator, but on December 16, it was reported that the eggs were not viable. A third group of six eggs laid by the other female also failed to survive.

In November 1999, scientists found that Lonesome George was closely related to tortoises from Española Island (C. n. hoodensis) and San Cristóbal Island (C. n. chathamensis). On January 20, 2011, two female C. n. hoodensis tortoises were brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where George lived.

Death

On June 24, 2012, at 8:00 A.M. local time, Galápagos National Park director Edwin Naula announced that Lonesome George had been found dead by Fausto Llerena, who had cared for him for forty years. Naula believed the cause of death was a heart problem. An autopsy confirmed that George died from natural causes. His body was frozen and sent to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where taxidermists preserved it. The work was done by the museum’s taxidermist, George Dante, with help from scientists.

After a short display at the museum, it was expected that Lonesome George’s preserved body would return to the Galápagos and be shown at the Galápagos National Park headquarters on Santa Cruz Island for future visitors. However, a disagreement occurred between an Ecuadorean ministry and the Galápagos Islands. The Ecuadorean government wanted the preserved body displayed in the capital, Quito, but the Galápagos local mayor said Lonesome George was a symbol of the islands and should return home.

On February 17, 2017, Lonesome George’s preserved body was flown back to the Galápagos Islands, where it is now on display at the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center.

Biological conservation

In November 2012, scientists published a report in the journal Biological Conservation about finding 17 tortoises that share some ancestry with the same species as Lonesome George. This discovery made scientists think that other purebred tortoises closely related to that species might still be alive.

In December 2015, researchers from Yale University discovered a new subspecies of tortoise called Chelonoidis niger donfaustoi. Their study showed that this tortoise's DNA matched 90% of the DNA from the Pinta Island tortoise. Scientists believe this discovery might help save the species, which could mean Lonesome George was not the last of his kind.

In December 2018, a study by Quesada and others described the full genetic code of Lonesome George and some genes linked to aging. The research suggested that the population of C. n. abingdonii had been decreasing for about one million years. It also found that certain genetic changes in DNA repair, protein stability, energy use, and immune response played important roles in the evolution of giant tortoises, affecting their long life and ability to resist disease.

In February 2020, the Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Conservancy announced that a female tortoise was directly connected to the species that Lonesome George belonged to. This tortoise was one of thirty found to be related to two species that were once thought to be extinct.

In popular culture

Lonesome George is the focus of the "Pinta Island Tortoise" segment in the "Naturama" episode of the science fiction animated TV series Futurama (Season 9, Episode 13, first shown on August 29, 2012). This segment is a copy of nature shows like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. In the episode, Futurama characters take the roles of animals found only on the Galapagos Islands, such as Darwin's finches, the marine iguana, and the Pinta Island Tortoise. The tortoise, named "Lonesome Hubert" (played by Professor Hubert Farnsworth), wants to stop his species from disappearing. Other animals help him find a mate.

Lonesome George is also the subject of the thirty-fourth episode of The Wild Thornberrys, titled "Two's Company." In this episode, the Thornberrys visit Yasuní National Park in South America, near the Galapagos Islands. There, they meet "Lonesome Jake," the last tortoise of his kind. Eliza feels sad that Jake is the only one of his species and decides to find him a female partner. She asks a local bird and learns that a female tortoise lives in a volcano on the Galapagos Islands. Eliza travels to the island with her parents and finds the tortoise, named Samantha. The Thornberrys take Samantha to Jake at Yasuní National Park. After four hours of the tortoises looking at each other, Eliza tries to help them connect. However, her actions cause problems for their relationship. In the end, Lonesome Jake and Samantha accept each other despite the challenges they faced at the start.