Tag: “Tortoise”

PLAYBOY TORTOISE HAS SO MUCH SEX HE SAVES HIS ENTIRE SPECIES

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

(CNN)

A womanizing tortoise whose rampant sex life may have single-handedly saved his entire (sub)species from extinction has retired from his playboy lifestyle, returning to the wild with his mission accomplished.

Diego’s unstoppable libido was credited as a major reason for the survival of his fellow giant tortoises on Espanola, part of the Galapagos Islands, after being shipped over from the San Diego Zoo as part of a breeding program.
When he started his campaign of promiscuity, there were just two males and 12 females of his species alive on the island. But the desirable shell-dweller had so much sex he helped boost the population to over 2,000. The Galapagos National Parks service believe the 100-year-old tortoise is the patriarch of around 40% of that population.
Sex Machine Diego
“He’s contributed a large percentage to the lineage that we are returning to Espanola,” Jorge Carrion, the park’s director, told AFP. “There’s a feeling of happiness to have the possibility of returning that tortoise to his natural state.”
A total of 15 tortoises took part in the breeding program to boost the island’s population, but none played as big a role as Diego. “About 1,800 tortoises have been returned to Espanola and now with natural reproduction we have approximately 2,000 tortoises,” Carrion told AFP. “This shows that they are able to grow, they are able to reproduce, they are able to develop,” he said.
The Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s premier destinations for wildlife viewing, and were visited by Charles Darwin as he worked on the theory of evolution.
PUERTO AYORA, SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, GALAPAGOS – MARCH 2, 2017: Young Galapagos Giant Tortoises (Chelonoidis hoodensis) that were born in captivity in their pen at the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center. The young tortoises born here will eventually be released into the wild on EspaÒola Island as part of the center’s program to recuperate various species of the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. This program, along with super stud male tortoise, ìDiegoî who spawned over 800 progeny, are responsible for stabilizing the Chelonoidis hoodensis species that was on the brink of extinction in the 1970ís. PHOTO: Meridith Kohut for The New York Times NYTCREDIT: Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

FEEDING THE TORTOISE AT CAPE ANN MUSEUM

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Don’t you love the fabulous and recently gifted Paul Manship “Tortoise” ❤

paul-manship-tortoise-cape-ann-museum-4copyright-kim-smithErik Ronnberg and “Tortoise.” Erik is the adjunct maritime curator for the Museum and model ship builder.paul-manship-tortoise-cape-ann-museum-3-copyright-kim-smith

paul-manship-tortoise-cape-ann-museum-1-copyright-kim-smithWard One City Councilor Scott Memhard and Erik Ronnberg at the Movalli opening

The bronze “Tortoise” was modeled in 1916 and cast in 1999. The gift was made possible through the generous donations of Arthur N. Ryan, Henrietta Gates, Heaton Robertson, and attendees of the 2015 Women’s Luncheon. Read more about Paul Manship’s work at the Cape Ann Museum here.

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Perhaps Manship’s most well known work, it’s interesting to see how the plaza surrounding “Prometheus” has changed through the decades.

prometheus-fountain-plaza-rockefeller-center-new-york-citywalk-in-new-york-new-york-vintage-rockefeller-center-city-garden-club-and-fountain-axis-from-above-1934Prometheus at Rockefeller Center by Paul Manship