Lonesome George: Last of his Species; Impotent.

15 years ago
Search for Lonesome George mate is long shot

While scientists search for a mate for "Lonesome George" -- the last known survivor of a species of Galapagos tortoise -- some say the effort to fend off extinction may be in vain. Even if a mate is found, George has not been interested in reproducing in the past and may not know how, former keepers and others who have worked with him said.

"He has problems ... he probably never saw a female and male of his own species reproducing," said Swiss biologist Sveva Grigioni, who worked with George 13 years ago.

Grigioni, now back in Switzerland, said she could normally get tortoises to ejaculate within minutes, but spent months manually stimulating George and never extracted semen from him.

Age is not George's problem. He is estimated at between 60 and 90 years old, and could live to be 200 and still reproduce, scientists say.

The visual differences in tortoises from different islands were among the features of the Galapagos that helped 19th Century British naturalist Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution. Since then, the tortoises have been hunted by pirates for their meat and their habitat eaten away by goats introduced onto the islands. George, who weighs 198 pounds, was found on Pinta in 1971.

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14 Responses:

  1. motive_nuance says:
    15 years ago at 8:13 pm

    Maybe she needs to try putting on some music, or cooking him dinner first.
  2. terras says:
    15 years ago at 8:49 pm

    That's a heck of job to put on your resume: Tortoise Fluffer.
  3. jkonrath says:
    15 years ago at 9:42 pm

    Since then, the tortoises have been hunted by pirates for their meat

    So basically we can blame Johnny Depp for this.
  4. drkscrtlv says:
    15 years ago at 10:46 pm

    he probably never saw a female and male of his own species reproducing

    if tortoise porn is what it takes, I say go for it.

    And while other blogs have mentioned that the writers wished they were tortoises, I got the feeling this was also kinda like UFO anal probe time.
  5. babynutcase says:
    15 years ago at 3:02 am

    Nine Ounces
    $ 9.95
    Bob Flaws

    P, 88

    This book is a nine-part program for the prevention of AIDS for those testing HIV positive. It covers Chinese dietary therapy, exercise, deep relaxation, abdominal self-massage, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, sexual pacing, visualization and developing a healthy attitude

    Hmm, sexual pacing. Let me check my copy...

    According to Sun Si-miao, by the time one is in their thirties, they should ejaculate one once every once every couple of days. In their forties, only once a week. In their fifties, only once every couple of weeks. Around sixty, a man can safely ejaculate once per month and after sixty it is best not to ejaculate at all. Sun Si-miao must have taken his own advice since he lived to over a hundred years.

    Me, I'm probably pretty doomed.
  6. decibel45 says:
    15 years ago at 9:07 am

    SEND IN THE CLONE!
  7. ex_sonjaaa says:
    15 years ago at 3:49 pm

    Poor little George might be gay!
  8. sidepocket_pro says:
    15 years ago at 4:42 pm

    Is it me or does old George's head look like a old man's penis? @,@;
    • wikkit42 says:
      15 years ago at 12:33 am

      First off, it's definitely you.

      But second, there have been jokes about individuals with the hobby or organizations dedicated to eating the last of endangered species. Perhaps, in this post-Internet time, that should be extended to people who pursue the goal of fucking endangered species.