PINTA ISLAND TORTOISE (LONESOME GEORGE) Part 1
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| Domed Shell |
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| Saddle back |
"Pinties" as they were sometimes called, were one of 15 subspecies of Galapagos tortoises. 5 are no longer in existence. Galapagos tortoises come in two "styles" The larger "dome shelled" tortoises with shorter necks for eating ground vegetation and the "saddle back" tortoises which were lighter with longer necks to reach higher vegetation. Pinta Island Tortoises were part of the saddle back group.
The Galapagos tortoises were hunted by whalers and pirates as a food source because they could weigh up to 900 lbs and live for over 6 months without any food or water. Hundreds would be rounded up at a time, and used for meals later in the year. It is believed that there were once 250,000 tortoises in the Galapagos, but by the 1970's only about 3,000 survived.
The Pinta Island Tortoises had another threat to worry about as well. In 1958 an invasive species moved on the Pinta Island, goats. The goats quickly ate up a majority of the island's vegetation including small trees, leaving the Pinties with little food to eat. Many tortoises starved. The government realized the goats were a problem and started eliminating them. By 2003, Pinta Island was declared "goat free". The islands vegetation made an amazing recovery, but it was too late for the Pinta Island Tortoises.
The Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) was home to Lonesome George for 41 years. George had an interesting life and was the symbol of extinction (while he was still alive). The CDRS scoured the world for a mate for Lonesome George, deemed the "rarest creature on earth" by the Guinness Book of World Records, but even when they offered a reward no mates were found. Attempts were made to breed Lonesome George with other subspecies, but that didn't work either. George had an interesting life and was once even held hostage during a fishermen's protest in the Galapagos. Lonesome George, and the Pinta Island Tortoises, "went the way of the dodo" (went extinct) on June 24, 2012, when his keeper of 41 years, Fausto Llerena found him dead in his enclosure. As this blog's title suggests, that day should be deemed EXTINCTION AWARENESS DAY.
He died at around 100 years old, which for a Galapagos tortoise isn't that old. The oldest individual in captivity lived to be 170 years old.
* The Pinta Island Tortoise species has been in the news lately because some hybrid tortoises were recently found that seem to be part Pintie, but scientists are still looking into this.
Additional Resources:
The Galapagos tortoises were hunted by whalers and pirates as a food source because they could weigh up to 900 lbs and live for over 6 months without any food or water. Hundreds would be rounded up at a time, and used for meals later in the year. It is believed that there were once 250,000 tortoises in the Galapagos, but by the 1970's only about 3,000 survived.
The Pinta Island Tortoises had another threat to worry about as well. In 1958 an invasive species moved on the Pinta Island, goats. The goats quickly ate up a majority of the island's vegetation including small trees, leaving the Pinties with little food to eat. Many tortoises starved. The government realized the goats were a problem and started eliminating them. By 2003, Pinta Island was declared "goat free". The islands vegetation made an amazing recovery, but it was too late for the Pinta Island Tortoises.
The Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) was home to Lonesome George for 41 years. George had an interesting life and was the symbol of extinction (while he was still alive). The CDRS scoured the world for a mate for Lonesome George, deemed the "rarest creature on earth" by the Guinness Book of World Records, but even when they offered a reward no mates were found. Attempts were made to breed Lonesome George with other subspecies, but that didn't work either. George had an interesting life and was once even held hostage during a fishermen's protest in the Galapagos. Lonesome George, and the Pinta Island Tortoises, "went the way of the dodo" (went extinct) on June 24, 2012, when his keeper of 41 years, Fausto Llerena found him dead in his enclosure. As this blog's title suggests, that day should be deemed EXTINCTION AWARENESS DAY.
He died at around 100 years old, which for a Galapagos tortoise isn't that old. The oldest individual in captivity lived to be 170 years old.
* The Pinta Island Tortoise species has been in the news lately because some hybrid tortoises were recently found that seem to be part Pintie, but scientists are still looking into this.
Additional Resources:
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