December 1, 2014
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmLonesome George, the Giant Tortoise, Preserved in All His Glory
Taxidermists give immortality to a beloved tortoise
By Nicholas St. Fleur
Tucked in a corner of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, next to fossils of long-gone gigantic sloths and knee-high horses, stands a newcomer to the extinction parade: Lonesome George, the last of his subspecies and a native of the Galápagos's Pinta Island. Until his death in 2012, the giant tortoise had stood as a global conservation icon for four decades. Now, preserved by a team of taxidermists and put on display at the museum until his January 4 return to his South American homeland, George still shares his message amid other vanished species—lonesome no more.
1971
Year George was found by József Vágvölgyi, a Hungarian scientist studying snails
165
Weight, in pounds
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100
Estimated age at death
9
Months to dry his shell
1.5
Years to complete taxidermy
7
Height of the mount, in feet
100
Photographs consulted to get George's regal pose just right
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