A Sex-Addicted Tortoise Just Saved His Species From Extinction

A Galapagos Island tortoise named Diego has single-handedly saved his species from extinction by doing his part to rebuild the population.

Diego is over 100 years old and fathered 800 babies of his Chelonoidis hoodensis species over the years. The animals are only found on Espanola in the Galapagos Islands, and the tortoise population has bounced back largely through Diego’s effort at a nearby breeding centre.

This sex-crazed tortoise is responsible for fathering 40% of the tortoises released on Espanola. Only about 50 years ago, there were only two males and twelve females on the island. However, the species currently numbers in the thousands.

“He’s a very sexually active male reproducer,” tortoise specialist at the Galapagos National Park, Washington Tapia, told the AFP. “He’s contributed enormously to repopulating the island.”

Just for fun, BuzzFeed mentioned that if Diego were human, he would be one of the “most prolific dudes ever.”

Tapia continued, “I wouldn’t say (the species) is in perfect health, because historical records show there probably used to be more than 5,000 tortoises on the island. But it’s a population that’s in pretty good shape – and growing, which is the most important.”

Thanks to the breeding center and most largely to Diego’s addiction, a total of around 2,000 have been released on the small island.

[H/T BuzzFeed, Daily Mail]