![]() Yacht La Pinta is the newest yacht, accommodating 48 guests, with ample social areas. The giant tortoises of the Galapagos helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution after he visited the islands in the 1830s, on his five year voyage aboard HMS Beagle.Īt the time, the super-sized reptiles were common, but the introduction of wild goats, which ate the vegetation that formed their diet, and the hunting habits of passing sailors – left them on the brink of extinction. La Pinta, is an ideal cruise to discover the Galapagos Islands. Genetic testing has been carried out to try to find further hybrids among the population there. ![]() His death marks the end of the purebred Pinta Island tortoise, but there is hope that they will survive in some form: at least one first-generation descendant of the subspecies has been found at the Wolf volcano on neighboring Isabela Island. The Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis niger abingdonii), also known as the Pinta giant tortoise, Abingdon Island tortoise, or Abingdon Island giant. His plight as the only known member of his subspecies led to a series of ill-fated attempts to provide him with a mate.īut despite the best efforts of conservationists – and the presence of two female giant tortoises from a close subspecies sharing his enclosure at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz – George remained a solitary creature. George became a symbol of the Galapagos Islands after he was found on Pinta Island by biologist Joseph Vagvolgyi in 1971. The genetic legacy of Lonesome George survives: Giant tortoises with Pinta Island ancestry identified in Galpagos. A post-mortem examination will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death, as although he was old by human standards, Lonesome George was not considered old for a giant tortoise – the animals can live to around 200 years of age. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |