Faced with extinction, rarest tortoise on Earth about to become oldest dad

Lonesome George, a large Pinto Island Galapagos tortoise, and the last of his kind, finally found romance and had a successful mating experience after almost a century of celibacy and one previous impregnation that ended in failure.

Infamous Lonesome George, estimated to be approximately 90 years old, has finally come into his sexual prime. Scientists have been trying for decades to coach him into mating activity, but George simply wasn’t interested. Recently, he became attracted to a female subspecies, the closest to Pinta form. After much sniffing, head-bobbing, and bellowing; nature took its course.

A short time later, five eggs were found by George’s handlers. They were carefully removed and placed into an incubator. The eggs have to be positioned exactly as they were laid, in order for the embryo to attach itself to the egg wall. Incubation time is estimated between 120-140 days.

If the union between George and his new mate was successful, there will be five little Georges or Georgia’s to help carry on the line. This was good news, because George’s species would become extinct if he were to die without propagating.

In 1972, the lone Pinta Island tortoise, (geochelone elephantopus abingdoni) was discovered by park wardens and taken to the safety of the Charles DarwinCharles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. The animal had been on his own so long, it was feared that he would never be able to mate, because a tortoise’s sexual organs atrophy if they are not used.

Mature tortoises mate year round, with the primary season being between January and August. Males, who can weigh up to 200 pounds, will often challenge each other for mating rights. It can be a comical scene, and usually involves rising up on hind legs, neck stretching, hissing, and occasional head-biting. The loser will amble off, leaving the winner to woo his prize.

Darwin observed of these ancient creatures:

"The inhabitants ( of the islands) believe that these animals are absolutely deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking close behind them. I was always amused, when overtaking one of these great monsters as it was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a heavy sound, as if struck dead."

Amazingly, that behavior has not changed since Darwin’s personal experience.

Since tortoises are cold blooded, they must bask for two hours after dawn, absorbing the energy through their shells, then becoming active for 8–9 hours. Afterwards, they generally sleep for most of the remaining day partially submerged in mud or water.

All the great tortoises are facing declining populations and extinction. Mostly due to climate change. Research shows there has been an imbalance in the natural birth rate of the species. Temperature at the nesting sight is what determines gender of the turtles. Warming temperatures have already started dooming the future of the species, by reducing the number of male turtles, which hinders the ability to reproduce. Once hatchlings are born, they surge toward the water, instinctively trying to avoid predation. Under normal conditions only 1 in 1000 will make it to the sea, where they face a whole new set of challenges. Due to rising temperatures and human activity, sea turtles, a species that has been around since the dinosaurs, may face extinction in just a few decades.

Lonesome George could live to be 150 years old, so he still has time to “get busy” and spawn many offspring, with the help of his human handlers, who will protect any eggs that may result in the fruits of George’s mating endeavors.

The world will know sometime in November if Lonesome George will no longer be lonesome, and become Don Juan George instead.

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