George the elephant tortoise. The last Abingdon elephant tortoise has died
Early on Sunday morning, June 24, perhaps the most famous tortoise in the world, a Galapagos tortoise named Lonesome George, died. Together with George, an entire subspecies of giant reptiles, which once inhabited the Galapagos Islands in large numbers, but were exterminated by people in just a hundred years, disappeared from the planet.
Background
The first of the many islands of the Galapagos archipelago was formed about 5-10 million years ago. Its “parent” was a volcano: the material that makes up the island is solidified lava. Following the first island, a second, third, and so on formed - now the group includes 16 large islands and many small formations. The archipelago is located in the area of the Galapagos Rift - a transverse fault in the earth's crust, which manifests itself as constant ejections of lava. This volcanically active zone is called the Nazca Plateau, and it is slowly moving to the southeast at a speed of about seven centimeters per year. Accordingly, older islands move away over time, giving way to younger ones.
Moving away from the place of their formation, the islands are slowly covered with vegetation, although rather sparse in comparison with mainland regions located at the same latitude - that is, almost on the equator. But relative poverty flora is more than compensated by its uniqueness. There are practically no springs on the islands fresh water, and the climate there is very cool, so the plants that dared to gain a foothold in the Galapagos had to develop a fair number of adaptations to the harsh conditions.
Island animals also differ markedly from their relatives by " mainland" - the vast majority of the species living in the Galapagos are endemic, that is, unique to this particular place. Remaining on the islands, quadrupeds and birds received a dull landscape, a harsh climate and often a very poor choice of food, but they saved themselves from countless predators of the mainland.
Story
George's ancestors appeared on one of the smallest islands of the Pinta archipelago a long time ago. The giant tortoises - the length of the dorsal shield of their shell reaches one meter or more - had no natural enemies on the Galapagos, so they reproduced for their own pleasure and roamed freely around the island, eating lush grass. The slow-moving, bony-plated reptiles were so numerous that the islands were even named after them - the Spanish word "galapago" refers to a species of aquatic turtle.
While we were at the top of the island, we ate exclusively turtle meat. The fried breast part of the shell with the meat remaining on it is very good, and the babies make an excellent soup. But in general, turtle meat, to my taste, is nothing special.
The island idyll remained unchanged for thousands of years, until one day, which was no different from the others, people appeared on the island. They quickly realized that turtles are not able to defend themselves from enemies, and since there was no other food for Pinto, they quickly mastered the preparation of various dishes from turtle meat. Sailors hunted not only adult turtles, but also hatchlings, from which they made a very tender soup.
A little later, people decided to colonize the Galapagos and, in order to make life on the uncomfortable islands more pleasant, they brought domestic animals with them. This turned out to be a fatal decision: while the pigs simply trampled down the grass, the goats ate it at such a speed that entire turtle families died of starvation. There were also dogs who did not dare to attack turtles, but who took great pleasure in catching unsuspecting iguanas. Gradually, giant tortoises on Pinta Island became less and less common until they disappeared completely.
Several more decades passed, and when it seemed that the island was completely lost, the situation suddenly changed for the better. Similar processes occurred on the islands neighboring Pinto, and although due to their larger size the consequences there were not as catastrophic, it became obvious to ecologists that the Galapagos Islands needed to be saved, and urgently. To prevent the transformation of a unique nature reserve into a lifeless desert, in 1974 it was launched on the archipelago large-scale program to restore the turtle population. Scientists have also tried to save other endemic animals.
To stop the destruction of the islands, it was necessary to first get rid of goats and other introduced species. In 1959, fishermen brought with them only three herbivores: a male and two females. By 1973, more than 30 thousand individuals already lived on the island. The extermination of the goats that had bred on the archipelago required a lot of effort from ecologists: this task was finally completed only in 2009. During the impact phase, more than 80 thousand animals were collected and over six million dollars were spent.
At the same time, the researchers, as best they could, restored the number of turtles on the islands. As a result of their efforts, the number of giant reptiles has increased from 3 thousand in 1974 to 20 thousand today.
The present
But for the subspecies Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni, to which Lonesome George belonged, the story, alas, was over forever. At the beginning of the Galapagos Islands restoration program it was believed that C. n. abingdoni became extinct, but in 1972 (according to other sources, in 1971), the Hungarian biologist Jozsef Vagvolgyi noticed a characteristic silhouette on Pinta Island. The miraculously preserved turtle was placed in a specially equipped enclosure and they began to search for suitable partners for George.
Since other known representatives of the subspecies C. n. abingdoni There were none left, the scientists selected girlfriends for George from the closest possible groups. In the end we settled on two females caught on neighboring island Isabel. During the first 15 years of their marriage, George showed no interest in the ladies, but in 2008, one of the turtles laid eggs. Scientists immediately placed them in an incubator, but, despite all the careful care, not a single cub hatched. A year later, one of George's companions laid eggs again, and again to no avail.
The lonely male no longer tried to leave offspring - perhaps the difference between the two subspecies, insignificant for people, seemed too big for him. In 2011, two females from the island of Hispaniola, belonging to the subspecies C. n. hoodensis- a more thorough analysis showed that genetically they are closer to George than the turtles from Isabella. The new girlfriends remained with the person being rescued until his death, but George did not want to mate with any of them.
The corpse of the last representative of a once numerous subspecies C. n. abingdoni discovered in the early morning of June 24 by the caretaker of the enclosure, who had been caring for the turtle for more than 40 years. Judging by his posture, George was heading towards the watering hole. The exact cause of the animal’s death is still unknown; in the near future, experts intend to conduct an autopsy to understand what happened to it. By the standards of giant turtles, which are believed to live for two hundred years, George was still very young - he was unlikely to be much over a hundred.
Future
Despite the tragedy of what happened, some researchers believe that the subspecies C. n. abingdoni can still be restored. According to some reports, the giant tortoise living at the Prague Zoo is the same species as George. Later, DNA analysis refuted these assumptions, but in 2007, scientists discovered animals on Isabella Island whose genes contained about half of George’s genes. In other words, the turtles found were most likely born from a union C. n. abingdoni with a representative of some other subspecies. And it cannot be ruled out that the parent of the unusual animals has not yet died, which means it is possible to find him.
Lonely George
Lonesome George, photo 2007
George was found by a Hungarian scientist on Pinta Island ( small island in the north of the archipelago, also called Abingdon) in 1972. Named after American actor George Goebel (English) Russian . Theoretically, turtles of this species are able to retain the ability to reproduce at the age of 200 years. Since George's death, the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies is considered extinct.
For decades, zoologists tried to obtain offspring from George, but to no avail. At one time, scientists believed that George was not capable of reproduction at all, but this turned out not to be the case. In May 2007, after a genetic analysis of 2,000 turtles, a female from Wolf Volcano was discovered that was genetically similar to George, was a hybrid, and had George's relative on her father's side, after which hope arose for continuation of the family. Fertilization occurred, but the embryos in the eggs were not viable.
George was often called the most famous bachelor in the world .
Henry Nichols's popular science book Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the World's Most Famous Turtle is dedicated to Lonesome George. Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the world's most famous tortoise ) .
On June 24, 2012, the body of a unique reptile was discovered without signs of life by the caretaker of the reserve, Fausto Liereno, who had been caring for the turtle for 40 years. Lonely George died at the age of about 100 without siring any offspring. This means the extinction of the corresponding subspecies. . After the autopsy, the turtle will be embalmed and displayed in local museum so that future generations have a clear idea of the extinct reptile.
Literature
- Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles / ed. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Higher. school, 1988. - P. 53. - 100,000 copies.
- ISBN 5-06-001429-0
Notes
Sources
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
See what “Lonesome George” is in other dictionaries:
George Orwell ... Wikipedia This term has other meanings, see Lonely man. A Single Man ... Wikipedia Byron, George Noel Gordon
- George Noel Gordon Byron. BYRON (Byron) George Noel Gordon (1788 1824), English romantic poet; from 1809 member of the House of Lords. In 1816 he left Great Britain and lived in Italy. In the poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812 18), oriental poems (including ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Byron) (1788 1824), English romantic poet; member of the House of Lords. In 1816 he left Great Britain and lived in Italy. In the poems “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” (1812–18), “The Prisoner of Chillon” (1816), “oriental” poems of the 1810s. (including “Gyaur”, ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1788 1824) English romantic poet; member of the House of Lords. In 1816 he left Great Britain and lived in Italy. In the poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812 18), oriental poems (including Giaour, Lara, Corsair), philosophical symbolic dramatic... ...
Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Villiers) Duke of Buckingham, English satirist of the Restoration. Born in 1628 and brought up after his father (see the corresponding article) was killed by Felton, along with the children of Charles I. When the revolution began, he left Cambridge,... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron - (George Meredith) outstanding English novelist; genus. in 1828; in his youth he lived for a long time in Germany, studied German literature a lot; later became friends with the Pre-Raphaelites, especially with D. G. Rosetti; has been living almost as a hermit for many years near... .... He was kept in captivity for a long time, which probably caused his sudden death. Lonely George passed away on June 24, 2012. On the day of death, the animal was only 100 years old, which is very young for turtles of this species.
Who was Lonesome George?
There is an assumption that this individual was the last representative of the subspecies of Abingdon elephant tortoises, which previously inhabited the islands of the Galapagos archipelago. He was considered a symbol of environmental activities. After death, the body was embalmed and placed as an exhibit on display. On the stand, he looks proud, with his head held high. To some extent, this can be regarded as a mockery, because it was people who brought this subspecies to complete extinction over a meager 100-300 years by geological standards. Of course, if we talk about the practical side of the matter, then everything was done correctly. After all, now this is the only opportunity to see what these reptiles looked like.
Elephant turtle Lonesome George was last hope biologists to resurrect this subspecies, but the reptile never gave birth to offspring. This male was called "the world's most famous bachelor." Unfortunately, a mate was not found for him among the females of related species.
How did the ancestors of the famous turtle live?
The Galapagos Islands were formed from big volcano gradually, one after another. This was several million years ago. The lava islands separated from the raging mountain moved to the southeast at an average speed of 7 cm/year. This was enough to form an archipelago of 16 islands.
The harsh climate and poor soil led to strict natural selection and the formation of endemic species of animals and plants. Among them are giant turtles. The first to notice this was the famous scientist Charles Darwin, who visited these pieces of land. He found that the shells of giant tortoises taken from different islands archipelago, differ in shape.
There's no drinking water, so to get it, turtles must eat a lot of grass. This circumstance could be the reason for the lack of predators, so they had no natural enemies.
In addition to turtles, the island is also home to others. unique species- iguanas, endemic birds and reptiles.
The barbaric acts of "Homo sapiens"
The islands were once inhabited by a huge number of giant one and a half to two meter turtles. The weight of these animals was several hundred kilograms. They prospered because there was always plenty of food. The first settlers began to use the meat of reptiles (and even their young) for food. Pieces of shell served as frying pans. Since they had meat on them, it was very convenient. Soup was made from small turtles. Their meat was considered very tender. There was no other acceptable food on the islands.
Large numbers of turtles were transported on ships, where they were also used as food. Sailors called them “live canned food” because these animals survived for a long time without food or water.
However, the greatest damage to the islands occurred after the relocation of goats and pigs there. They quickly multiplied and began to threaten many island species, putting them on the brink of extinction, because they quickly ate grass - the main food of the clumsy reptiles. Pinto Island was the hardest hit, with no giant tortoises left at all.
In order to save unique species, a program for the restoration of turtles and other rare animals of the archipelago began in 1974. By that time, about 30-40 thousand goats were already roaming around it. They all had to be removed from there, and this required enormous effort. It wasn't until 2009 that all goats were removed from the Galapagos Islands.
As a result of these actions, the number of giant tortoises began to grow again, increasing from 3 thousand in the 70s of the 20th century to 20 thousand today.
However, the subspecies to which Lonesome George belonged (the Abingdon elephant tortoise) could not be saved. Its representatives were destroyed 150 years ago. However, some scientists continue to fight for this species.
Is it possible to restore Abingdon tortoises?
In 2007, researchers found reptiles very genetically close to the famous George. This happened on Isabella Island. It is believed that one of their closest relatives could be the Abingdon elephant tortoise. A total of 17 reptiles with a similar genome were found. Scientists have conducted many experiments, but so far their efforts have not been successful.
The story of Lonesome George is a vivid example of how carefully we need to treat what we have.
12.07.2012 - 15:55
In the summer of 2012, one of the subspecies of turtles, the Abingdon elephant tortoise, was moved from the Red Book to the “black” list - a list of animals that have disappeared forever from our planet. This turtle was named Lonely George in honor of the American actor George Gobel, of course, not because of external resemblance - the actor was simply an inveterate bachelor, and the turtle, to the great grief of zoologists, had the same tendency...
Confirmed bachelor
The last representative of the now extinct subspecies was Lonesome George, an 88-kilogram tortoise, 1 m 80 cm long, discovered by Hungarian naturalists on the small island of Pinta (north of the Galapagos archipelago) in 1972. More than a hundred years earlier, almost all Abingdon turtles were exterminated by whalers and fishermen - this specimen survived miraculously.
No matter how hard they tried to find a match for Lonely George from Pinta Island, nothing worked. And on June 24, 2012, he died at the age of either 70 or 170 years (researchers could not determine the exact figure) without leaving any offspring.
George became a celebrity long before his death. Almost immediately after it was discovered by researchers, it was transported to national park Galapagos Islands, he was looked after, fed and protected in every possible way. Tens of thousands of tourists came to see the unique turtle, including such famous people as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Prince Charles. Writer Henry Nichols even wrote a book about her: Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the World's Most Famous Turtle.
Gourmet Cynicism
It is possible that already now the only places where animals can somehow survive will be carefully protected reserves and National parks. In any other place, wild fauna are at risk of death. This is especially true for completely defenseless turtles. The fact is that the meat of these reptiles is highly valued by gourmets and is considered a delicacy in many countries.
The worst thing about the extermination of turtles, and other animals, is that man, while satisfying his whims, cannot do without cruelty. One traveler describes with disgust a scene he saw at one of the southern markets: “Buyers probably want to get the meat as fresh as possible, or sellers don’t want to take the trouble to kill the animal, so they simply separate the chest shell from a live turtle and cut it out as desired.” buyer, the specified piece of meat from the victim's body. The European is horrified to see how the tortured animal rolls its eyes, slowly opens and closes its mouth, and how the heart beats, which is usually the last thing to demand.” In theory, after such a spectacle, even a very tasty piece of turtle meat will not go down your throat, but this does not bother local gourmets.
As already mentioned, fishermen made a special “contribution” to the extermination of turtles. Sailors cynically called them “live canned food” because reptiles, once caught, could live for months in the hold of a ship without water or food, waiting for the moment when they would be cooked and served. Back in the 16th century, there were about a quarter of a million Galapagos tortoises. By 1970, there were no more than three thousand of them left. Judging by the ship's logs, only 79 whaling ships over 36 years (in the middle of the 19th century) took more than 10 thousand reptiles from the archipelago.
There is information that at the beginning of the 18th century, on one of the islands, about 40,000 individuals of one of the turtle species that lived there were released... to feed pigs.
Hunting for offspring
Not only land turtles, but also sea turtles are endangered. Submitting to the whims of gourmets, the “getters” hunt both the reptiles themselves and their unborn offspring.
One sea turtle lays approximately 100 eggs per year. For their clutches, females dig small holes in the sand sometime deserted beaches. But the local population is well aware of the permanent nesting sites, and every season a ruthless hunt begins for turtles and their eggs. The sales market for mining is unusually voracious.
Mexicans, for example, believe that turtle eggs increase male potency and, despite the fact that the authorities have been fighting poachers for many years, all street vendors in Mexico City know where to get a delicacy for a real macho. In fact, uncontrolled hunting for turtle offspring ultimately led to the fact that only one turtle in four thousand has a chance of reaching sexual maturity.
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The last known representative of the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies (lat. Geochelone nigra ssp. abingdoni), a male named Lonesome George, died on June 24 in Galapagos National Park.
Lonely George (Spanish: Solitario Jorge; English: Lonesome George) is a male Galapagos tortoise, considered the last and only representative of the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies (Latin: Geochelone nigra ssp. abingdoni). Elephant tortoises are a rare species of giant Pinto tortoise found exclusively in the Galapagos Islands. George has become a symbol of conservation in the Galapagos Islands.
George was found by a Hungarian scientist on Pinta Island (a small island in the north of the archipelago, also called Abingdon) in 1972. Named after American actor George Goebel. Theoretically, turtles of this species are able to retain the ability to reproduce at the age of 200 years. Since George's death, the Abingdon elephant tortoise subspecies is considered extinct.
For decades, zoologists tried to obtain offspring from George, but to no avail. At one time, scientists believed that George was not capable of reproduction at all, but this turned out not to be the case. In May 2007, after a genetic analysis of 2,000 turtles, a female from Wolf Volcano was discovered that was genetically similar to George, was a hybrid, and had George's relative on her father's side, after which hope arose for continuation of the family. Fertilization occurred, but the embryos in the eggs were not viable.
George was often called the most famous bachelor in the world.
The popular science book “Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of the world's most famous tortoise” by Henry Nichols is dedicated to Lonesome George.
On June 24, 2012, the body of a unique reptile was discovered without signs of life by the caretaker of the reserve, Fausto Llereno, who had been caring for the turtle for 40 years. Lonely George died at the age of about 100 without siring any offspring. This means the extinction of the corresponding subspecies. After the autopsy, the turtle will be embalmed and displayed in a local museum so that future generations will have a clear understanding of the extinct reptile.