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NEWS ABOUT: Galapagos Islands

Lonesome George Dead at 100

George thought to be last Pinta Island giant tortoise

(Newser) - The Galapagos giant tortoise nicknamed Lonesome George, the last of the giant Pinta Island tortoise subspecies, has died, reports CBS News . He was believed to be about 100 years old, relatively young for a species that can live up to 200 years. Scientists had tried to get George to mate... More »

Tortoises Break Up —After a Century Together

Bibi finally got sick of Poldi

(Newser) - They were together as a couple for more than a century until out of the blue, Bibi and Poldi—two giant Galápagos tortoises who live in an Austrian zoo—broke off their relationship. The split was anything but cordial, reports Der Spiegel . A belligerent Bibi bit off part of... More »

'Extinct' Galapagos Tortoise Still Alive

DNA shows that species thought wiped out in 1840s is on different island

(Newser) - Scientists have located survivors of a giant Galapagos tortoise species thought to have gone extinct back in the 1840s. Researchers testing the DNA of 1,600 tortoises on Isabela Island in the Galapagos discovered that at least 84 were offspring of a species that originally lived on nearby Floreana Island,... More »

Last Tortoise of His Kind Needs a Date

Scientists struggle to find mate for 'Lonesome George'

(Newser) - When you’re the only known member of your species, romance is hard to find. Such is the case for Lonesome George, the last Pinta tortoise in the Galapagos. Since George’s discovery in 1971—at a time when his species was believed to be extinct—scientists have searched far... More »

Brits Hunt Stolen Darwin Notes

Missing Galapagos notebook sought

(Newser) - Amid a celebration, a mystery: A fresh appeal has been launched to find a missing notebook that Charles Darwin may have used to write On the Origin of Species, which was published 150 years ago today. The journal records Darwin's observations in the Galapagos Island and Peru. Authorities believe it... More »

Mosquito Invasion Threatens Galapagos Wildlife

(Newser) - Scientists fear that winged invaders could wipe out native species on the islands where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, the Times of London reports. Mosquitoes have been hitching rides to the Galapagos on incoming aircraft, and now Galapagos species—including iguanas, tortoises, and Darwin's finches—are in serious... More »

Kilimanjaro, Grand Canyon Among '7 Wonders' Finalists

(Newser) - Twenty-eight finalists made the cut today for the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” poll, including the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the AP reports. Organizers expect 1 billion people to vote online or by phone before the winners are announced in 2011. Other wonders up... More »

Ecuador Chases Citizens Off Galapagos to Save Islands

UN says too many people on islands is destroying animal habitats

(Newser) - Ecuador is forcing those without permission to live in the Galapagos to leave, over fears that a growing human population threatens the species that make the islands unique. Even Ecuadorean citizens need special visas to visit the Galapagos, but thousands of mainland migrants have been staying illegally, drawn by high... More »

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