The Pinta Island tortoise was a massive reptile that once thrived on Pinta Island in the Galápagos archipelago. These tortoises, like their close relatives throughout the Galápagos, were a product of island gigantism. These tortoises could weigh up to 500 pounds and measure over 5 feet in length and once dominated their ecosystem with their sheer size and slow, steady presence.
While other Galápagos tortoise subspecies continue to survive, the death of the last Pinta Island tortoise, “Lonesome George,” marked the end of this species. George was born around the early 20th century and discovered in 1971.
In the mid-20th century, goats were introduced to Pinta Island, and they quickly became an invasive species. The goats devastated the island’s vegetation, stripping it of the tortoises’ primary food sources and severely disrupting their habitat. This ecological imbalance, combined with earlier hunting pressures by sailors in the 19th century who sought tortoises as a source of fresh meat during long voyages, led to a dramatic decline in the Pinta Island tortoise population.
Conservationists searched desperately for a mate, but George remained alone until his natural death in 2012. Although the the Pinta Island tortoise is extinct today, there was a brief glimmer of hope. Individuals with partial Pinta Island tortoise ancestry still exist on Isabela Island, according to a 2013 update published in Biological Conservation.
We had hoped that such genetic links could potentially pave the way for species recovery. So far, it has been over ten years, and yet, the Pinta Island tortoise hasn’t been revived.
Today, two species are on the edge, sharing the rarest-creature-on-the-planet title that once belonged to George.
1. The Northern White Rhinoceros—Only Two Females Remain, No Males
The Northern White Rhinoceros, once a symbol of strength and resilience on the African plains, now stands on the precipice of extinction. Once roaming across Central Africa, this majestic subspecies has been decimated by relentless poaching and habitat loss. The ivory of their horns made them targets for poachers, driving their numbers down at an alarming rate. Today, only two Northern White Rhinos remain, both of them female—Najin and Fatu—living under 24-hour protection at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
These two rhinos are the last vestiges of a subspecies that once thrived in the wild. With no surviving males, the Northern White Rhinoceros is functionally extinct, meaning there is no natural hope for their population to recover. Conservationists have been racing against time, exploring reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) to try and save the subspecies from complete extinction. Despite these efforts, the outlook remains grim, and the world may soon lose yet another irreplaceable piece of its natural heritage.
2. The Vaquita Porpoise—The World’s Rarest Marine Mammal
The Vaquita Porpoise, a small and elusive marine mammal, is now the rarest cetacean on Earth. Native to the northern part of the Gulf of California in Mexico, this tiny porpoise—measuring just 4 to 5 feet in length—is fighting a losing battle, with fewer than 10 individuals estimated to remain in the wild. The vaquita’s delicate features and shy nature have made it a difficult species to study and protect.
The vaquita’s rapid decline is primarily due to bycatch in illegal gillnets used for fishing another endangered species, the totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, according to a July 2019 paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Despite efforts by conservationists and the Mexican government to ban gillnets and patrol the vaquita’s habitat, illegal fishing activities continue, pushing this species ever closer to extinction.
Efforts to save the vaquita have been fraught with challenges, and time is running out. The survival of this species depends on immediate and decisive action to eliminate the threats it faces.
Just as we mourned the loss of Lonesome George and the extinction of the Pinta Island tortoise, we now stand at a crossroads with these two species teetering on the edge. Their survival hangs in the balance, a haunting testament to the consequences of our past mistakes. The question that remains is whether we will learn from these tragedies and take decisive action before these irreplaceable species are lost forever. The time to act is now, before it’s too late.
Find out how connected you feel to nature and how that connection can inspire action to protect endangered species like the northern white rhinoceros and the vaquita porpoise: Connectedness To Nature Scale.
