Lonesome George is now a father! :O

Wow, although they're hybrids it's still interesting :)
 
I should hopefully be seeing Lonesome George next summer, i'l try to get some pictures if possible!
 
Not yet he's not!

I should take this with a pinch of salt, last year both females produced eggs but all were proved to be infertile. See this thread:

http://www.zoochat.com/65/not-so-lonesome-george-54214/

Still, it would be great if George did become a father as it would preserve the Pinta genes (the tortoises on Isabella are, genetically, the closest to the Pinta race so hybrids would not be too disastrous).We saw George in 2004 but he was being a little shy and hiding behind a bush so we only saw the shell.

Drummerzoobloke, what other islands are you visiting? I hope you enjoy Galapagos - it's a very special place.
 
George is kept in a corral at the Charles Darwin Research Station with two Isabela Tortoises (sorry, can't remember which volcano they are from). Genetically, I believe, they are the closest living relatives of the Pinta tortoises so a cross should not be too disastrous.
 
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EvilKittie said:
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Rare tortoise could become father
Click to expand...

This news item was brought to the world on July 23, 2008. In November 2008 it was confirmed the eggs were infertile.

Incidentally, Lonesome George has never been a keen breeder ..., nobody knows why!

The only hope for the Pinta species is that within the archipelago tortoises our found with the unique Pinta haplotype. They have recently found hybrid evidence with Pintas, but would have to check on which particular island.

K.B.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
This news item was brought to the world on July 23, 2008. In November 2008 it was confirmed the eggs were infertile.

Incidentally, Lonesome George has never been a keen breeder ..., nobody knows why!

The only hope for the Pinta species is that within the archipelago tortoises our found with the unique Pinta haplotype. They have recently found hybrid evidence with Pintas, but would have to check on which particular island.

K.B.
Click to expand...

Was this not the last lot of eggs, and this is a new clutch?
 
The news message on the BBC site is dated 23 july 2009, so i suppose it's a new clutch.

Still, hold your horses on the whole "father" thing, just a few eggs isn't enough just yet.
 
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