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Tortoise Lonesome George Dies

At Galápagos National Park.

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AFP / Getty Images

Thought to be the last of his kind, giant tortoise Lonesome George was found dead by officials at Galápagos National Park on Sunday. The centenarian tortoise was expected to live longer, according to scientists, and the cause of his death was not immediately clear. Lonesome George is thought to have been the last of the Pinta Island subspecies of Galápagos giant tortoise, and scientists tried repeatedly to get him to mate successfully over the years, but to no avail. Efforts to aid the islands’ giant tortoises have increased their population from 3,000 to 20,000 in the past four decades.

Read it at Los Angeles Times

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