"Lonesome George"

Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the subspecies.
In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world.
George was first seen on the island of Pinta in November 1971 by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi.
 
It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Globel.
Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz Island, George was penned with two females of a different subspecies. Although eggs were produced, none hatched.
 
Over the decades, all attempts at mating Lonesome George had been unsuccessful, possibly due to the lack of females of his own subspecies. This prompted researchers at the Darwin Station to offer a $10,000 reward for a suitable mate.

In July 2008, George mated with one of his female companions. Thirteen eggs were collected and placed in incubators. On 11 November 2008, the Charles Darwin Foundation reported 80% of the eggs showed weight loss characteristic of being inviable. By December 2008, the remaining eggs had failed to hatch and x-rays showed they were inviable.
 
On 20 January 2011, two individual hoodensis female partners were imported to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where George lived.
A reward of $10,000 was offered by the Ecuadorean Government for the discovery of a suitable female to help save the subspecies.
 
On 24 June 2012, at 8:00 am local time, Edwin Naula, Director of the Galápagos National Park, announced that Lonesome George had been found dead by his caretaker of 40 years, Fausto Llerena. Naula suspects that the cause of death was heart failure consistent with the end of the natural life cycle of a tortoise. A nacropsy confirmed that he died of "old age" when he was 80. Officials stated that he will be embalmed and put on display on Santa Cruz Island for future generations to see. He was believed to be more than 100 years old, though this is not especially old for a Galápagos tortoise.