ABOUT LONESOME GEORGE
Lonesome George (Solitario Jorge) was a tortoise, the last known surviving individual of the Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni), which is one of eight to fifteen extant subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, all of which are native to the Galápagos Islands. He was labeled the rarest creature in the world, and was a potent symbol for conservation efforts in both the Galápagos and worldwide. It was thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel.
George was first seen on the island of Pinta on 1 December 1971 by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi. The island's vegetation had been devastated by feral goats, and the population was reduced to a single individual. George was estimated to have been over 100 years of age when he finally died, June 24, 2012 due to heart failure.