(ENDANGERED SPECIES/VIDEO) GALAPAGOS — Lonesome George, the last known remaining Pinta tortoise and notorious bachelor, may be thinking of discarding his bachelorhood and mating with one of the two new girlfriends he just moved in with. Could George save his species? Find out the odds. — Global Animal

Huffington Post, Dean Praetorius

Lonesome George is the Galápagos giant tortoise’s last hope to stave off extinction.

The 100-year-old reptile is the last of his subspecies, a type of tortoise that once roamed the islands in the thousands, according to the Star Tribune. But despite thousands of potential mates, George is still yet to produce any offspring.

The serial bachelor has recently moved in with two new potential girlfriends.

But the chances he’ll take to one of them are slim. Scientists have been trying to find him a mate since 1971, writes TIME. In the past, scientists believed that his weight was a factor keeping him from mating.

But since slimming down in the 1990s, George is still yet to have reproduced.

However, according to TIME, lately he’s been a bit more active, and may have a chance at making a go of it. “He’s getting to know them,” his vet told TIME. “Lately he seems more animated.”

Unfortunately, George really does seem to be the last hope for his subspecies of giant tortoise.

“We’ve searched so much, but we haven’t managed to find another one,” Fausto Llerena, George’s caretaker, told the Star Tribune. “Just skeletons.”

More Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/lonesome-george-galpagos-tortoise_n_861110.html

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Learn more about Lonesome George: That’s All, Folks: Lone Remaining Pinta Island Tortoise Found