Lonesome George - Not so Lonely Anymore?

The Galápagos tortoise named Lonesome George, who lives at the Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos, is a favorite with tourists and has been thought to be the last of his kind, a pure-bred Pinta island tortoise.

Tortoise Genes and Island Beings - Giant Galápagos reptiles on slow road to recovery (Science News): "Last April, however, the surprise discovery that Lonesome George has a genetic cousin on another island cast doubt, in a hopeful way, on George's one-of-a-kind status. The revelation is just one illustration of how genetics and conservation biology are intermingling to rewrite an oversize reptile's evolutionary past and to reshape plans to safeguard the remaining tortoise species well into the future."

The article reports on conservation and preservation activities, the life-cycle of the tortoise, with photos and future plans.

Photo of a giant tortoise in the Galápagos thanks to ArtToday.com. Enjoy more images in the Galapagos Wildlife Photo Gallery.