Photo from open sources
Fifty years ago in the Galapagos Islands opened a view turtles Chelonoidis hoodensis, living exclusively in the south the island of Hispaniola. Scientists have probably been looking for elephants for too long turtles, because it turned out that the newfound view is on verge of extinction.
Only a dozen females and two males remained on the island. Moreover, the males did not show any activity for procreation. Specialists urgently began to look for a way to preserve the rarest population armored reptiles.
Suddenly, another of the males of Chelonoidis hoodensis was discovered in the zoo of the American city of San Diego. No one is already remembered how he ended up here, but it was assumed that this the turtle was brought here during one of the scientific expeditions, carried out in the first half of the twentieth century.
The animal was given the nickname Diego in honor of his former American at home. Honestly, scientists did not hope that this long-living alone in the zoo, the male will be able to somehow significantly change the situation. For example, in 2012, another endangered species, Chelonoidis abingdoni, was lost when his last the male representative died without giving birth. His name was Lonely George, and for years he refused to mate with females.
Diego was returned to Hispaniola in 1976. What a surprise scientists when it turned out that this male is different unprecedented hypersexuality. For such a unique turtle sex drive is generally fantastic luck.
Now in the Galapagos Islands already live two thousand elephant turtles, and they are all direct descendants of Diego. Thus, this sex giant almost single-handedly saved his species from extinction. At the moment, he lives in a kind of harem with six females, continuing to produce offspring.
Diego has been living for about a hundred years. Elephant turtles are capable reach almost two hundred years of age, so it is possible that the prolific male has an even larger life ahead.
Zoos Islands
