Pinta Island Tortoise

[68merc]

Thought this was interesting and sad.


http://delwynunderground.blogspot.com/2010/11/creature-of-month-pinta-island-tortoise.html

 

[jeffbens0n]

I've heard this story before. I thought I remember hearing he was even older than that?

 

[Angi]

What about cloning?

 

[Torty Mom]

I have read a few different stories on lonesome George. None seem to say the same thing.

 

[ForestExotics]

"offering $10,000 to anyone who comes forward to offer a chance at saving the Pinta Island tortoise." How could someone come up with one when there are no more in the island?

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What about cloning?

That is what I say also clone him.

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I heard that we are 3-4 years away to cloning the Wolly mammoth.

 

[jeffbens0n]

Sign me up for the mammoth...I want one...jk

 

[ForestExotics]

Sign me up for the mammoth...I want one...jk

Oh yea me too..

 

[tortoises101]

What about cloning?

Then you'd just end up with a bunch of old male pintas, not a breeding colony. Unfortunately.

 

[todd21tacy]

Ya I heard about Pinta Island Tortoise before also which is quite interesting.
Which is one of the last out of eleven extant subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, quite rarest creature in the whole world. Yeah may be because of that scientist have decided for cloning lonesome George to conserve the species...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

It is sad.

 

[Kristina]

There are no Pinta Island tortoises left on PINTA ISLAND... However, whalers and pirates would pick these guys up and place them in the holds of their ships as a "mobile meat source." At times they survived for more than a year in the holds with no food and water. When the trip was over, they would just dump them off on the nearest land. This is why there are populations of Redfoots on many of the Caribbean Islands.

So while there may be no more Pinta's on Pinta, there may yet be a hidden jewel out there that can save the species.

Genetic testing is being carried out to see if females from other locales carry similar genes to George, in the hopes that a suitable mate for him can be found.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

There are no Pinta Island tortoises left on PINTA ISLAND... However, whalers and pirates would pick these guys up and place them in the holds of their ships as a "mobile meat source." At times they survived for more than a year in the holds with no food and water. When the trip was over, they would just dump them off on the nearest land. This is why there are populations of Redfoots on many of the Caribbean Islands.

So while there may be no more Pinta's on Pinta, there may yet be a hidden jewel out there that can save the species.

Genetic testing is being carried out to see if females from other locales carry similar genes to George, in the hopes that a suitable mate for him can be found.

I hope they find several.

 

[NEtorts]

That is a sad story but that picture of the lady next to the tortoise is not lonesome george.... this pic is of Lonesome george from the Charles darwin research station... notice the front of his carapace is high (from eating leaves off bushes and trees) not low and rounded like that huge tort in the picture of the article...i am no expert but it doesnt look like the same tort to me..

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That is a sad story but that picture of the lady next to the tortoise is not lonesome george.... this pic is of Lonesome george from the Charles darwin research station... notice the front of his carapace is high (from eating leaves off bushes and trees) not low and rounded like that huge tort in the picture of the article...i am no expert but it doesnt look like the same tort to me..

See? now compare them both.........thats not Lonesome George with that lady in that picture..... to bad the article is so generic

 

[Madkins007]

Yeah, that's not Lonesome in the OP photo.

The story of the Galapagos Tortoises is fascinating and convulated. The Pinta Island Torts may not be from Pinta Island anyway- they may be transplants from Espanola (if I remember my island names correctly) or another island. Tortoises still occasionally get swept to another island, and of course humans for the last hundred plus years have shuffled them around pretty good.

It is too bad there is not the money, manpower, and machinery in place necessary to do a good, thorough DNA sweep of a wider range of Galapagos Tortoises- we might find a DNA match and potential to him in an unexpected place. Of course, he has expressed about 0% interest in mating in over a decade but some researchers were getting some good results before they had to stop for various reasons.

Of course, even if we did get him to reproduce- even if by cloning, the problem is not over. Pinta Island, like so many of the others, is overrun with tortoise-destroying alien species- goats, pigs, rats, etc. Poachers, smugglers, etc. are also all over the place. The day before they officially found Lonesome George, they also found a recently slaughtered female- missing a possible breeding pair of this incredibly rare species by days is horribly tragic.

 

[tortoises101]

Yeah, that's not Lonesome in the OP photo.

The story of the Galapagos Tortoises is fascinating and convulated. The Pinta Island Torts may not be from Pinta Island anyway- they may be transplants from Espanola (if I remember my island names correctly) or another island. Tortoises still occasionally get swept to another island, and of course humans for the last hundred plus years have shuffled them around pretty good.

It is too bad there is not the money, manpower, and machinery in place necessary to do a good, thorough DNA sweep of a wider range of Galapagos Tortoises- we might find a DNA match and potential to him in an unexpected place. Of course, he has expressed about 0% interest in mating in over a decade but some researchers were getting some good results before they had to stop for various reasons.

Of course, even if we did get him to reproduce- even if by cloning, the problem is not over. Pinta Island, like so many of the others, is overrun with tortoise-destroying alien species- goats, pigs, rats, etc. Poachers, smugglers, etc. are also all over the place. The day before they officially found Lonesome George, they also found a recently slaughtered female- missing a possible breeding pair of this incredibly rare species by days is horribly tragic.

That IS tragic, Mark. I remember the decline of pinta tortoises was because mainly of goats, because they competed with the tortoises for vegetation and soon their numbers amounted to 30 000. There were two wardens sent out to shoot the goats, and eventually they found Lonesome George and brought him to the Charles Darwin Research Station. I don't remember anything about finding a recently slaughtered female though.

 

[Madkins007]

I may be misrembering the story- its been a while, but seem to recall not only a recent slaughter but also rather fresh bones found during the trip.