George (snail)

George ( – January 1, 2019)Ed Yong (2019
"The Last of Its Kind"
''The Atlantic'', July 2019 issue. Accessed June 28, 2019. was a snail of the species '' Achatinella apexfulva'', and the last known individual of his species.

Background

''Achatinella apexfulva'' was endemic to forests of Oahu, Hawaii. Its populations declined dramatically due to predation by the rosy wolfsnail, which was introduced to Hawaii in the 1950s to control agricultural pests. The species was listed as federally endangered in 1981.

Life

In 1997, all known remaining specimens of ''A. apexfulva'' were collected and bred in captivity. Most offspring died of unknown causes, but one successful offspring was born. This individual, born in a laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was named George, after Lonesome George, a Pinta Island tortoise that was also the last of its kind. George's parents were collected from the last known wild population of ''A. apexfulva'', in a few trees near Oahu's Poamoho trail. At the time of his birth, about 20 ''A. apexfulva'' individuals survived in captivity;Julia Jacobs (2019
"George the Snail, Believed to Be the Last of His Species, Dies at 14 in Hawaii"
''The New York Times''. Published January 10, 2019. Accessed June 28, 2019. however, by the mid-2000s, George was the only remaining member of the species.

George has been described as "a thumbnail-size whorl of dark brown and tan." Although typically referred to using the pronoun "he", George was actually a hermaphrodite. He became sexually mature in 2012, but could not reproduce without a mate. While George was alive, it became a tradition for snail researchers to stop at the spot where the last ''A. apexfulva'' were found and scan the trees with binoculars, in the hope of finding him a mate.

As of 2016, George lived in a terrarium at the University of Hawaii.Guy Dinmore (2016
"World’s loneliest snail lives in Hawaii but can’t get a date"
''New Scientist''. Published 8 September, 2016. Accessed June 28, 2019. At the time of his death, George was kept in a trailer on the outskirts of Kailua, Oahu, cared for by researcher David Sischo, director of the state's snail extinction prevention program, and colleagues. In August 2018, George was among 2000 snails temporarily transferred from Kawainui Marsh to the main Department of Land and Natural Resources offices in downtown Honolulu, to protect against damage from Hurricane Lane.Associated Press (2018
"Hurricane Lane floods homes in Hawaii as others take to the waves"
''Chicago Sun-Times''. Published August 24, 2018. Published June 28, 2019.

Death and legacy

On January 1, 2019, George died at age 14, leaving the species reportedly extinct.Christie Wilcox (2019
"World's loneliest snail dies, and a species goes extinct"
''National Geographic''. Published January 8, 2019. Accessed June 28, 2019. His body was discovered the following morning. As of 2019, George's remains are stored in a cupboard labelled "DEATH CABINET", alongside the bodies of other dead snail specimens. In 2017, researchers collected a two-millimetre sample of George's foot, which is now kept in storage at San Diego's Frozen Zoo, to be available for possible future cloning attempts.Katie Pavid (2019
"Death of George the tree snail marked the first extinction of 2019"
Natural History Museum. Published January 15, 2019. Accessed June 28, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

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2000s animal births
2019 animal deaths
Endlings
Individual molluscs