Geochelone nigra abingdoni

Taxobox
name = Abingdon Island Tortoise

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = Lonesome George, a Galápagos Tortoise suspected to be the last surviving member of his subspecies
status = in the Wild
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Testudines
familia = Testudinidae
genus = "Geochelone"
species = "G. nigra"
subspecies = "G. n. abingdoni"
trinomial = "Geochelone nigra abingdoni "
trinomial_authority = (Günther, 1877)

Lonesome George ( _es. 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. [citation| title=Geochelone nigra|publisher=IUCN Red List | url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/9011/summ] citation |title=Lonesome George faces own Galapagos tortoise curse | first=Simon |last=Gardner| url=http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/9708/newsDate/06-Feb-2001/story.htm| date=February 6 2001] He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally. [citation|last=Nicholls|fist=H|year=2006|title=Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon|publisher=Macmillan Science|location=London|url=http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/henry|isbn=1-4039-4576-4] 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.

George is estimated to be 60–90 years of age, and is in good health. 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.citation|first=Michael A. |last=Russello |first2=Luciano B. |last2=Beheregaray |first3=James P. |last3=Gibbs |first4=Thomas |last4=Fritts |first5=Nathan |last5=Havill |first6=Jeffrey R. |last6=Powell |first7=Adalgisa|last7=Caccone. |title=Lonesome George is not alone among Galápagos tortoises| journal=Current Biology |volume=17 |issue=9 |date=1 May 2007 |pages=R317-R318| url=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] 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. It is possible that a pure Pinta tortoise lives among the 2,000 tortoises on Isabela. [cite news | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/01/1911805.htm | title = Iconic tortoise George may not be last of his kind | date = 2007-05-01 | accessdate = 2007-10-20 ]

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.On July 21 2008, it was reported that George had unexpectedly mated with one of his female companions. Three eggs were collected and placed in incubators; it will take four months to know if they are viable. [cite news|title=Lonesome George may end bachelor days on Galapagos |publisher=Reuters| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN22474589|date=July 22 2008] If the eggs hatch successfully they would be intergrades, not purebreds of the Pinta subspecies.cite news|title=Joy at giant tortoise eggs |publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7522573.stm|date=July 23 2008]

References

External links

* [http://www.darwinfoundation.org/files/species/pdf/pinta-en.pdf Charles Darwin Research Station Fact Sheet - Pinta giant tortoise ("Geochelone abingdoni")]
* [http://nakeddiscovery.com/scripts/mp3s/audio/Naked_Scientists_Show_06.03.19.mp3 Naked Scientists audio discussion of Lonesome George]
* [http://keralaarticles.blogspot.com/2007/05/lonesome-george.html Article on Lonesome George] The Giant Tortoise of Galapagos Island.