Update! Lonesome George isn’t so lonesome anymore!

Hi everyone! I know its been a long time since i’ve posted anything at all, but theres exciting news! First I’d like to give a tribute to our favorite tortoise, Lonesome George, who passed away last year from old age. With his death in June of 2012, the species was thought to be extinct. BUT THERES SOME GOOD NEWS! Just a few months later, a Yale researcher found 17 hybrid tortoises that may share several parts of George’s DNA. Through a serious conservation efforts and a potential captive breeding program, conservationists hope to bring back the now twice thought extinct amphibian.

Here’s the best part. When researchers found these tortoises (named Pinta tortoises), they would these 17 (in a population of 1,667) with high levels of comparative DNA to George. Although 12 where adults, 5 were just babies, which means that although they are hybrids, their parents could still be alive AND purebreds!! Here’s the catch though. These tortoises where found 30 miles away from the island where they should originate from! So although the original species on the Galapagos Islands are gone, these new found tortoises on Volcano Wolf (cool name, right?) could revive the species for the second time around!

Here’s a National Geographic article that explains further!: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121116-lonesome-george-not-extinct-galapagos-tortoise-science/

Galapagos Islands