Lonesome No Longer
By Simon Davis
For any fellas who have ever experienced “reproductive pressure” from a broody partner, spare a thought for Lonesome George. No he’s not some kind of cowboy hero; he’s a conservation icon. He is the only surviving member of his species of giant tortoise (Geochelone abingdoni for those who need to know). He is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the “rarest living creature”.
Lonesome George has revelled in this fame for decades and has enjoyed receiving 50,000 admiring fans every year. He has also done everything in his power to maintain his cult status. Despite having to share his Galapagos Island home at the Charles Darwin Research Station with two or more gorgeous females of a similar species (Geochelone becki), he has firmly remained celibate and hence maintained his sought-after status. Scientists have even accused him of being “uninterested in passing on his unique genes” amongst other insults and character slurs.
Now, news has broken our hero may not be so lonesome after all. Another male tortoise has been found that has half of the genes of a pure specimen of his species, a kind of half-brother if you like. Poor old George, one discovery by meddling biologists and your cool name-prefix is taken away and you are just one among many “quite rare” living creatures.
What will be George’s response? We wait with bated breath to see if he takes the initiative in passing on his unique genes or whether he calls in mercenaries to eliminate this party-pooper.
Follow the links to delve into the conservation world:
- Spoof - Polar bears to be retrained
- Straight - R.I.P. Yangtse river dolphin
- Gallery - New species of orchid from P.N.G.
- News - New species found all over the place
Lonesome George has revelled in this fame for decades and has enjoyed receiving 50,000 admiring fans every year. He has also done everything in his power to maintain his cult status. Despite having to share his Galapagos Island home at the Charles Darwin Research Station with two or more gorgeous females of a similar species (Geochelone becki), he has firmly remained celibate and hence maintained his sought-after status. Scientists have even accused him of being “uninterested in passing on his unique genes” amongst other insults and character slurs.
Now, news has broken our hero may not be so lonesome after all. Another male tortoise has been found that has half of the genes of a pure specimen of his species, a kind of half-brother if you like. Poor old George, one discovery by meddling biologists and your cool name-prefix is taken away and you are just one among many “quite rare” living creatures.
What will be George’s response? We wait with bated breath to see if he takes the initiative in passing on his unique genes or whether he calls in mercenaries to eliminate this party-pooper.
Follow the links to delve into the conservation world:
- Spoof - Polar bears to be retrained
- Straight - R.I.P. Yangtse river dolphin
- Gallery - New species of orchid from P.N.G.
- News - New species found all over the place
Image: Sarah Avayou
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