Yale researchers on hunt to track pals for Lonesome George

For decades, Lonesome George, the giant Galapagos tortoise living in Pinta on the northern Galapagos Island was believed to be the last living member of his species.

The Guinness Book of World Records had even credited Lonesome George as the “rarest living creature.” Now that view will have to go a sea change. That’s because researchers from Yale University have found another tortoise who has half his genes in common with Lonesome George.

According to the researchers, the new tortoise is a first generation hybrid between the native tortoises from the islands of Isabela and Pinta”. This interesting observation was made by Dr Adalgisa Caccon and Dr Jeffrey Powell who work at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale.

The native tortoises found on the island of Isabella belong to a species called G becki. The species that Lonesome George belongs to is called Geochelone abingdoni. The research team has identified more than 2,000 tortoises of G. becki living on the neighboring volcanic Isabela Island.

Dr Caccon says, “It will take a team of about 20 people about three to four weeks to do a first, exhaustive sampling and transmitter-tagging of the tortoises on the volcano. Then once individuals of interest are found — either hybrids with Pinta or pure Pinta animals — an equivalent field expedition will have to be mounted to find the animals and bring them in captivity”.

Adds Dr Powell, “These findings offer the potential for transforming the legacy of Lonesome George from an enduring symbol of rarity to a conservation success story.”

Source: Yale University Press Release: http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/07-04-30-03.all.html

This news story is adapted from a Yale University press release

image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lonesome_george.jpg