Galápagos tortoise not so lonesome

So the news is in that Lonesome George, the committed bachelor giant tortoise and famous icon of the Galápagos islands, might finally have succumbed to the womanly ways of one of his female companions.

Eggs have been found in a nest inside the tortoises’ enclosure on Santa Cruz island and park rangers are eagerly waiting to discover whether George has successfully fertilised them. Hatching, if it does occur, won’t take place for four months, so we’ve got a long wait until we find out whether George is infact a bit of a stud, and not such a loner after all. 

It’s been 36 celibate years since George was rescued (as the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise) and kept in captivity on Santa Cruz. Despite the increasingly desperate attempts of his rangers to get George ‘in the mood’ he just hasn’t wanted to know, and has spurned female companionship for a life of munching on undergrowth and posing grumpily for the constant stream of visitors who come to catch a glimpse of this icon of the natural world.

So what will happen if it emerges that George has in fact finally done the deed? Will he still deserve his lonely moniker? Will people still come and see him? Perhaps he will discover what he’s been missing out on all these years and become a bit of a playboy tortoise?

The fact remains that he is still the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise on our planet. But if the rumours are true, this might herald the start of a breeding programme (that could take over 100 years and several generations of tortoise) to breed another ‘pure’ Pinta Island tortoise.

George, your species needs you. Keep up the good work.