The American Museum of Natural History will host the iconic Galápagos tortoise, Lonesome George, beginning next Friday, September 19. This will be the only location he is on view before returning to Ecuador.
A native of Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands and the last known of his kind, the tortoise called Lonesome George became an international symbol of ever-increasing extinctions when he died of natural causes in 2012.
Following the Pinta Island tortoise’s death, AMNH worked with the Galapagos National Park Service, the State University of New York College of Environmental Services and Forestry, Galapagos Conservancy, and a team of master taxidermists to preserve him for posterity. The taxidermy mount of Lonesome George represents the animal as he appeared in life, with his posture showing the height George could achieve by extending his neck and limbs. The tortoise will be on exhibit at the Museum until January 4, 2015. Afterward, George will be returned to Ecuador.
Visit www.amnh.org for more information.
Image by putneymark [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons