Who was Lone George, a resident of the Galapagos Islands? Lonesome George - the world's most famous turtle

The last known representative of the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies (lat. Geochelone nigra ssp. abingdoni), a male named Lonesome George, died on June 24 in Galapagos National Park.

Lonely George (Spanish Solitario Jorge; English Lonesome George) is a male Galapagos tortoise, considered the last and only representative of the subspecies Abingdon elephant tortoise (lat. Geochelone nigra ssp. abingdoni). Elephant tortoises are a rare species of giant Pinto tortoise found exclusively in the Galapagos Islands. George has become a symbol of conservation in the Galapagos Islands.

George was found by a Hungarian scientist on Pinta Island ( small island in the north of the archipelago, also called Abingdon) in 1972. Named after American actor George Goebel. Theoretically, turtles of this species are able to retain the ability to reproduce at the age of 200 years. Since George's death, the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies is considered extinct.

For decades, zoologists tried to obtain offspring from George, but without success. At one time, scientists believed that George was not capable of reproduction at all, but this turned out not to be the case. In May 2007, after a genetic analysis of 2,000 turtles, a female from Wolf Volcano was discovered that was genetically similar to George, was a hybrid, and had George's relative on her father's side, after which hope arose for continuation of the family. Fertilization occurred, but the embryos in the eggs were not viable.

George was often called the most famous bachelor in the world.

The popular science book “Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the world's most famous tortoise” by Henry Nichols is dedicated to Lonesome George.

On June 24, 2012, the body of a unique reptile was discovered without signs of life by the caretaker of the reserve, Fausto Llereno, who had been caring for the turtle for 40 years. Lonely George died at the age of about 100 without siring any offspring. This means the extinction of the corresponding subspecies. After the autopsy, the turtle will be embalmed and displayed in a local museum so that future generations will have a clear understanding of the extinct reptile.

Lonely George

Lonesome George, photo 2007

George was found by a Hungarian scientist on Pinta Island (a small island in the north of the archipelago, also called Abingdon) in 1972. Named after American actor George Goebel (English) Russian . Theoretically, turtles of this species are able to retain the ability to reproduce at the age of 200 years. Since George's death, the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies is considered extinct.

For decades, zoologists tried to obtain offspring from George, but without success. At one time, scientists believed that George was not capable of reproduction at all, but this turned out not to be the case. In May 2007, after a genetic analysis of 2,000 turtles, a female from Wolf Volcano was discovered that was genetically similar to George, was a hybrid, and had George's relative on her father's side, after which hope arose for continuation of the family. Fertilization occurred, but the embryos in the eggs were not viable.

George was often called the most famous bachelor in the world .

Henry Nichols's popular science book Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the World's Most Famous Turtle is dedicated to Lonesome George. Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the world's most famous tortoise ) .

On June 24, 2012, the body of a unique reptile was discovered without signs of life by the caretaker of the reserve, Fausto Liereno, who had been caring for the turtle for 40 years. Lonely George died at the age of about 100 without siring any offspring. This means the extinction of the corresponding subspecies. . After the autopsy, the turtle will be embalmed and displayed in a local museum so that future generations will have a visual representation of the extinct reptile.

Literature

• Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles / ed. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Higher. school, 1988. - P. 53. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001429-0

Notes

Sources

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Early on Sunday morning, June 24, perhaps the most famous tortoise in the world, a Galapagos tortoise named Lonesome George, died. Together with George, an entire subspecies of giant reptiles, which once inhabited the Galapagos Islands in large numbers, but were exterminated by people in just a hundred years, disappeared from the planet.

Background

The first of the many islands of the Galapagos archipelago was formed about 5-10 million years ago. Its “parent” was a volcano: the material that makes up the island is solidified lava. Following the first island, a second, third, and so on were formed - now the group includes 16 large islands and many small formations. The archipelago is located in the area of ​​the Galapagos Rift - a transverse fault in the earth's crust, which manifests itself as constant ejections of lava. This volcanically active zone is called the Nazca Plateau, and it is slowly moving to the southeast at a speed of about seven centimeters per year. Accordingly, older islands move away over time, giving way to younger ones.

Moving away from the place of their formation, the islands are slowly covered with vegetation, although rather sparse in comparison with mainland regions located at the same latitude - that is, almost on the equator. But relative poverty flora is more than compensated by its uniqueness. There are practically no springs on the islands fresh water, and the climate there is very cool, so the plants that dared to gain a foothold in the Galapagos had to develop a fair number of adaptations to the harsh conditions.

Island animals are also noticeably different from their relatives on the “mainland” - the vast majority of species living in the Galapagos are endemic, that is, unique to this place. Remaining on the islands, quadrupeds and birds received a bleak landscape, a harsh climate and often a very meager choice of food, but they saved themselves from the countless predators of the mainland.

Story

George's ancestors appeared on one of the smallest islands of the Pinta archipelago a long time ago. The giant tortoises - the length of the dorsal shield of their shell reaches one meter or more - had no natural enemies on the Galapagos, so they reproduced for their own pleasure and roamed freely around the island, eating lush grass. The slow-moving, bony-plated reptiles were so numerous that the islands were even named after them - the Spanish word "galapago" refers to a species of aquatic turtle.

While we were at the top of the island, we ate exclusively turtle meat. The fried breast part of the shell with the meat remaining on it is very good, and the babies make an excellent soup. But in general, turtle meat, to my taste, is nothing special.

The island idyll remained unchanged for thousands of years, until one day, which was no different from the others, people appeared on the island. They quickly realized that turtles are not able to defend themselves from enemies, and since there was no other food for Pinto, they quickly mastered the preparation of various dishes from turtle meat. Sailors hunted not only adult turtles, but also hatchlings, from which they made a very delicate soup.

A little later, people decided to colonize the Galapagos and, in order to make life on the uncomfortable islands more pleasant, they brought domestic animals with them. This turned out to be a fatal decision: while the pigs simply trampled down the grass, the goats ate it at such a speed that entire turtle families died of starvation. There were also dogs who did not dare to attack turtles, but who took great pleasure in catching unsuspecting iguanas. Gradually, giant tortoises on Pinta Island became less and less common until they disappeared completely.

Several more decades passed, and when it seemed that the island was completely lost, the situation suddenly changed for the better. Similar processes took place on the islands neighboring Pinto, and although due to bigger size the consequences there were not so catastrophic, it became obvious to ecologists that the Galapagos needs to be saved, and urgently. To prevent the unique natural reserve from turning into a lifeless desert, a large-scale program to restore the turtle population was launched on the archipelago in 1974. Scientists have also tried to save other endemic animals.

To stop the destruction of the islands, it was necessary to first get rid of goats and other introduced species. In 1959, fishermen brought with them only three herbivores: a male and two females. By 1973, more than 30 thousand individuals already lived on the island. The extermination of the goats that had bred on the archipelago required a lot of effort from ecologists: this task was finally completed only in 2009. During the impact phase, more than 80 thousand animals were collected and over six million dollars were spent.

At the same time, the researchers, as best they could, restored the number of turtles on the islands. As a result of their efforts, the number of giant reptiles has increased from 3 thousand in 1974 to 20 thousand today.

The present

But for the subspecies Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni, to which Lonesome George belonged, the story, alas, was over forever. At the beginning of the Galapagos Islands restoration program it was believed that C. n. abingdoni became extinct, but in 1972 (according to other sources, in 1971), the Hungarian biologist Jozsef Vagvolgyi noticed a characteristic silhouette on Pinta Island. The miraculously preserved turtle was placed in a specially equipped enclosure and they began to search for suitable partners for George.

Since other known representatives of the subspecies C. n. abingdoni There were none left, the scientists selected girlfriends for George from the closest possible groups. In the end, we settled on two females caught on the neighboring island of Isabella. During the first 15 years of their marriage, George showed no interest in the ladies, but in 2008, one of the turtles laid eggs. Scientists immediately placed them in an incubator, but, despite all the careful care, not a single cub hatched. A year later, one of George's companions laid eggs again, and again to no avail.

The lonely male no longer tried to leave offspring - perhaps the difference between the two subspecies, insignificant for people, seemed too big for him. In 2011, two females from the island of Hispaniola, belonging to the subspecies C. n. hoodensis- a more thorough analysis showed that genetically they are closer to George than the turtles from Isabella. The new girlfriends remained with the person being rescued until his death, but George did not want to mate with any of them.

The corpse of the last representative of a once numerous subspecies C. n. abingdoni discovered in the early morning of June 24 by the caretaker of the enclosure, who had been caring for the turtle for more than 40 years. Judging by his posture, George was heading towards the watering hole. The exact cause of the animal’s death is still unknown; in the near future, experts intend to conduct an autopsy to understand what happened to it. By the standards of giant turtles, which are believed to live for two hundred years, George was still very young - he was unlikely to be much over a hundred.

Future

Despite the tragedy of what happened, some researchers believe that the subspecies C. n. abingdoni can still be restored. According to some reports, the giant tortoise living at the Prague Zoo is the same species as George. Later, DNA analysis refuted these assumptions, but in 2007, scientists discovered animals on Isabella Island whose genes contained about half of George’s genes. In other words, the turtles found were most likely born from a union C. n. abingdoni with a representative of some other subspecies. And it cannot be ruled out that the parent of the unusual animals has not yet died, which means it is possible to find him.

Kingdom: Animalia.
Phylum: Chordata.
Class: Reptiles (Reptilia).
Order: Turtles (Testudines).
Family: Land turtles (Testudinidae).
Genus: American tortoises (Chelonoidis).
Species: Elephant turtle (Chelonoidis nigra).
Subspecies: Abingdon elephant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni).

WHY IS IT LISTED IN THE RED BOOK

The Abingdon elephant tortoise is one of the most striking examples of the fact that the Red Book is a “living” book. Changes occur every day and perhaps every hour. Scientists do not always have time to quickly monitor what is happening and find a sufficient number of convincing facts. It is clear that by the time this publication is published, Abingdon elephant tortoises will be classified as black-colored EX, an endangered species. As we have already said, when work began on the description of this subspecies, the last representative of the rare taxon was still alive. His name was Lonesome George.

Lonesome George was discovered on Pinta Island (Abingdon) on December 1, 1972 and taken under surveillance. Last years his life he lived in the Galapagos National Park of Ecuador, at the station named after. Charles Darwin on St. Croix. Here they looked after George well and hoped to get viable offspring from him. Attempts were made several times to cross George with females of other subspecies without success. Although the eggs were laid, none hatched. Scientists believe that George was 90-100 years old at the time of his death. Since these reptiles were long-lived in the animal world and retained the ability to reproduce almost until the end of their lives, during George’s lifetime there was still hope for a successful restoration of the subspecies’ numbers. Researchers will have to carefully test the genetic structure of populations of other related taxa living in the Galapagos Islands. Required real evidence that George was, in fact, "the last of his kind."

In the 19th century Abingdon elephant tortoises were found in abundance on Pinta Island. The main reason for the disappearance of the subspecies was that almost all the vegetation on the island was exterminated by feral goats. As a result, the turtles have no food resources left. The clumsy and slow reptiles were easy prey for poachers.

By the beginning of the 1970s. XX century Only one representative of the subspecies managed to survive. Until recently, scientists hoped to restore the subspecies and return it to its natural habitat. In addition, numerous attempts to regulate the goat population on Pinta Island were ultimately successful, and the island's grass cover was finally restored. Lonesome George was a symbol of the Galapagos Islands and the conservation movement in general. Various celebrities came to visit Lonely George, including Prince Charles and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The Abingdon elephant tortoise is an endemic subspecies that lived exclusively on desert island Pint as part of the Galapagos Archipelago.

HOW TO FIND OUT

Abingdon elephant tortoises 100% justified the species name given to them - “elephant”. These were real giants, sometimes reaching a body weight of 300-350 kg. Their large, ossified carapace was painted a rich gray-brown tone. In all turtles, including elephant turtles, the ribs and spine are inseparably fused with the carapace. This system forms a powerful defense for the body. Therefore, the myth that a turtle can leave its “house” has no scientific evidence. The body of the turtles was covered with dry, wrinkled skin. Elephant turtles had a long neck and a relatively small head. Males were almost twice as large as females.

LIFESTYLE AND BIOLOGY

Being cold-blooded animals, turtles crawled out in the morning to bask in the sun. The dark color of the shell helped absorb more sunlight and warm the body better. Then the turtles spent most of their time searching for food. Moving at an average speed of 0.3 km/h, they systematically explored the territory of their native island, hoping to find fresh, juicy grass to maintain vitality. Elephant turtles were distinguished by almost undeveloped hearing, but an excellent sense of smell and good vision.

During the mating season, males staged ritual fights, trying to determine the most important and powerful one. They craned their necks, opened their mouths, and took ritual positions. At this time, as well as at the moment of mating, the males could puff and hiss, trying in every possible way to express the emotions overwhelming them. For oviposition, females went to dry, well-warmed sandy beaches. Sometimes it took them several days to dig a hole about 30 cm deep. Using their hind legs, the female Abingdon elephant tortoise patiently performed complex and serious work. The sex of embryos in these reptiles depends on the temperature of the environment. At lower temperatures, more males are born, and at higher temperatures, more females. Incubation could last from four to eight months. After birth, babies faced many dangers. First of all, they needed to get to the surface and not become victims of birds of prey. Puberty occurred at the age of about 20-25 years.

Elephant tortoises have made enormous contributions to the development of the general theory of evolution. After all, it was them, or rather the external differences of individuals living in different environmental conditions, that Charles Darwin noticed during his trip around the world on the Beagle. The fact is that the size and shape of the shell of representatives of different populations of elephant turtles are very different. This made the great scientist think seriously about the influence of the environment on the body.

Events

Employees Galapagos National Park in Ecuador reported that Lonely George , a giant tortoise that scientists believe is the last of its species, has died at the age of about 100 years.

Park officials said that after an autopsy, the cause of death of this animal will become clear. Lonesome George was known as a unique and one-of-a-kind creature, as he left no offspring. For decades, scientists have tried unsuccessfully to crossbreed Lonesome George with representatives of closely related subspecies of Galapagos tortoises.

Turtle found dead by park employee Fausto Llerena, who has been caring for the animal for the past 40 years.

Although Lonesome George's exact age was not known, scientists estimate that he was around one hundred years old, which would have been considered a relatively young member of his species, as these turtles lived to be 200 years old.

Lonesome George was found by a Hungarian explorer on the Galapagos island of Pinta in 1972. Conservationists say the species Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni, to which it belonged, would now be considered extinct.

Lonesome George was a member of the Galapagos National Park animal breeding program. During his 15 years of living with a female turtle, which was brought from the Wolf Volcano area, Lonesome George mated with her more than once, but her eggs were always infertile.

He was also left in pens with Hispaniola Island females who were genetically closer to him than the Volcano Wolf female, but George refused to mate with them at all.

Lonesome George has become a symbol of the Galapagos Islands and attracts about 180 thousand tourists every year. His body will be embalmed and preserved in a museum for future generations.

There were quite a lot of these turtles on the Galapagos Islands until the end of the 19th century, but later sailors began to mercilessly exterminate them for their meat, which led to the extinction of the species. Turtles have also suffered from habitat loss after being brought here from big land Invasive animals such as goats were introduced.

The difference in appearance between turtles from different Galapagos Islands helped the British Charles Darwin, who visited the islands, formulate his famous theory of evolution. Today, about 200 thousand turtles of different species live on the Galapagos Islands.

Shells beaked turtles conservationists deliberately spoil them by labeling them harmless to animals. By doing this, they make beautiful shells completely worthless on the black market. IN wildlife There are only a couple hundred of these animals left, and they are in serious danger of extinction.

-- Gigantic elephant turtles they have to mate in a special way so that the male, whose weight can reach 400 kilograms, does not crush the female.

Poachers, sometimes called the "turtle mafia", as well as local residents, which love turtle meat, threaten rare Madagascar turtles, including beak-breasted, spider, radiant And flat-tailed turtle.

-- Radiated turtles are one of the most beautiful views turtles on the planet. They live only in forested areas of the southern part of the island of Madagascar.

-- Burmese tortoise also on the verge of extinction. It is sometimes called the “star turtle” due to the unusual color of its shell.

-- Egyptian tortoise - the smallest of all Mediterranean turtle species.