Lonesome George Is Not Alone
Lonesome George may not be quite so alone after all. Geneticists have discovered a tortoise on Isabela with clear signs of Pinta Island ancestry.
There were once thousands of giant tortoises roaming over the volcanic slopes of Pinta. Today there is just Lonesome George, discovered in 1972 and taken into captivity in the hope that a companion might someday be found.
The discovery of a tortoise on Wolf Volcano on Isabela with a distinct smattering of Pinta genes gives Charles Darwin Foundation scientists new hope for Lonesome George and his line.
- Source: Galapagos Conservation Trust