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Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Lonesome George, the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise, subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni, walks around Galapagos National Park's breeding center in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz island, in the Galapagos Archipelago, on April 19, 2012. Lonesome George died and left the world one subspecies poorer. The only remaining Pinta Island giant tortoise and celebrated symbol of conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands passed away Sunday with no known offspring, the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador said in a statement. Estimated to be more than 100 years old, the creature's cause of death remains unclear and a necropsy is planned.
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