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

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