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Lonesome George mates at age 90
Posted by timethief • 7/30/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: biodiversity, endangered-species, galapagos- tortoise
- Almost extinct Galapagos tortoise mates at 90
Lonesome George, the last remaining giant tortoise of his kind, may soon be a father to the delight of conservationists.
Unhatched eggs have been found in his "bachelor" pen in the Galapagos Islands, his keepers said on Tuesday.
For decades, the last known Pinta island tortoise had shown little interest in reproducing. But at age 90, George is said to be in his sexual prime.
... The 198-pound (90-kg) George stunned conservationists last year by mating for the first time in the 36 years he has been in captivity. ...
Read the full article -> www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56K6XQ20090722?feedType=RSS&...
Discussion question:
I think this is great news. What do you think?
User Comments
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Go George! jajajajaja
Too bad he is the last of his kind. The baby tortoises will be half his species only.-
- Yeah, it is sad but I am glad that there may be tortoises that will carry his genes. I hope the eggs hatch.
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I think they could write a movie "The 90 year old Virgin"
Seriously though, they said he was the last one, then at the end they said there was 20,000 others
Unless they count them all as different species because they are on different islands-
Unless they count them all as different species because they are on different islands
- All of the plants and animals that live in the Galapagos Islands today are descendants of those that arrived from elsewhere - after all, when the newly formed volcanic islands of Galapagos first rose above sea level millions of years ago, they would not have had any animals or plants living on them then. And most tortoises cannot swim so the species do vary from island to island.
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But, chances are they all evolved from 1 tortoise
www.galapagosonline.com/nathistory/wildlife/animals/tortoise.htm Naturalists believe tortoises arrived in the islands clinging to a piece of driftwood from a river mouth along the Pacific Coast. A relatively large tortoise, related to the Galapagos tortoise lives on the South American mainland. The tortoises arrived in San Cristobal then spread throughout the archipelago. Those on individual islands or in isolated parts of the larger islands developed into its own sub-species.
Personally I would tend to believe they were placed on the islands by indigenous people (as food stock). I simply find it hard to believe enough torts to start populations on all the islands drifted there.
Take a breeding population from the mainland and let them loose on the island - FREE GEORGE - we killed every other one of his kind and now justify imprisoning the last living one, in a the end justifies the means kind of way. Let george have his way with females on his own island. Even if his seed doesn't repopulate the island give it 100,000 years of evolution and they chances are the implanted population would have evolved just the way the orriginals population would have. -
@freaksmack
- Let george have his way with females on his own island. Even if his seed doesn't repopulate the island give it 100,000 years of evolution and they chances are the implanted population would have evolved just the way the originals population would have.
Thanks for that link. These days many people think keeping all kinds of species captive like whales, seals, and polar bears, etc. and even having them perform for public shows is a good thing to do. I don't feel the same way.
I feel that any animal that can make it in the wild ought to be given that chance and I strongly believe that we ought to be focused on preservation and protection of their habitats, rather than building phony habitats so scientists and the public can observe them living un-natural lives.
Granted there will be animals in zoos that can't make it in the wild and in those cases it would be cruel and unusual punishment to set them free. But this is not always the case.
I object to the "harvesting" of wild animals and confining them for scientific purposes not only on the grounds of cruelty. Doing so allows us to cop-out when it comes to preserving and protecting habitats. Doing so allows us to personify animals as we do with pets like cats and dogs. It allows us to fantasize that all is well in the wild world when it isn't.
Human impact on the environment is horrific and it's time to stop deluding ourselves. We are losing many species every year because we are destroying their habitat. Currently almost all large wild mammals are in dangerous straits. Sitting in stands and eating popcorn watching captive animals perform in captive environments is not a legacy I wish to pass on to the following generations.
So I do understand exactly where you are coming from and empathize. I think the scientists fear losing George because if they set him free he may die prematurely, and that would lead to them being seen in the world as failing to protect him alive by keeping him as a captive.
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George getting his Hugh Hefner on. nice George. very nice.-
- lol ... 36 years is a long time for sure - Yay! George.
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I think this is great news. I also think it is sad that so many species are driven to the brink of extinction because of our heavy stomping upon the earth. This reminds me of that story from Thailand where a baby hippo, orphaned in the tsunami, was adopted by a turtle mother. To see some amazing pictures of their relationship, visit this site:
www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=9445
I hope George's eggs hatch. Turtles are wonderful creatures. They seem so ancient and contrary to our fast-paced, modern world. Coincidentally, I have a picture of one on my blog header - a turtle no doubt "donated" to the local pond by someone who found it outgrew a home aquarium...-
Thanks for that link I'll have to check it out tomorrow.
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@cindygeenotes
- Waving to you across the Strait on this cooler morning - thank goodness! Hopefully the heat wave id over.
I checked out that forum but it has no searchbox that I could find and I'm not a member. Thanks for telling me about the Hippo and his adoptive mom. I know of a chihuahua bitch who brought home two cougar cubs and kept them alive by nursing them along with her own pup. It was amazing considering that to cougars pet dogs are prey.
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This is wonderful. Just proves that tortoises can outlive humans. -
"I think this is great news. What do you think?"
Why Timethief, this is terrible news! Just think how much worse the world will be having one more species of giant sea tortoise in it. I mean, they're big, they're slow, they like to take up perfectly good space on beaches, they're hard to sit on, and because of endangered species laws I'm not allowed to eat one unless it attacks me first and that's hard to pull off. Further, just think about how terrifying it is to be out on the water in a small boat and then see a giant tortoise underneath you, and when he or she (more often she) surfaces and capsizes your boat, well that just aboot ruins your day.
In addition, tortoise make great food for pirates, and once more tortoises are around, why then the pirates will multiply. See, it's an elaborate food chain. The pirate ships need the tortoises to survive, while the tortoises need the pirate ships to prevent merchant shipping and give them a little more breathing room. Once the tortoises multiply, the pirates will be armed with an extensive new food source and be ready to ravage the high seas once again.-
JJ: You are a pain in the ass. Hilarious. But a pain in the ass. -
@jeremy
- Thanks for the shout. I can see that you were trying to pull a Jonathan Swift and your my macho man side kind of took over. No problem. I know you aren't an insensitive person. - we are cool.
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@nothingprofound
- I also lol when I read what he posted.
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Tortoises? Hahahaha
I was expecting to see a Gorilla when I clicked on the link.-
@AngieA
- Ha! ha! ha! gotcha
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That's the trouble with tortoise sperm they are very slow swimmers so it takes ninety years for them to make their way from the testicles to the relevant opening. This is the main reason that there are many more hares in the world then there are tortoises.-
@dearaardvark
- You are hilarious. IMHO you should have a humor blog titled: Ask the Aardvark. If so U would instantly become a faithful reader/subscriber.
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The best news in a long time, its important to ensure that we dont lose any more animals to extinction, especially not the beautiful and age defying tortoise.
I love them My friend had one as a child and I used to watch it for HOURS! It was handed down to him in a will from his grandparents. -
Looks like there's hope for me yet.
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How do you feel about unemployed Asian architects?
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I hear they have a tough time mating in captivity.
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If he's the last one, who did he mate with?
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- Scientist have been trying to get George a Pinta tortoise to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. He mated with one a female tortoise of a subspecies from another one of the Galapagos islands.
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Hi TT long time ... and a new avatar is that you?-
- Yes, it's me. You can see me here too.
www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/i-dare-you#comment_1054954
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yeah that's a nice avatar
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Good news- GO! George, never to old to 'come out of your shell'
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