Pinta Island ( Spanish: ''Isla Pinta''), also known as Abingdon Island, after the Earl of Abingdon, is an island located in the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...

group,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. It has an area of and a maximum altitude of . Pinta was the original home to

Lonesome George Lonesome George ( es, Solitario George or , 1910 – June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger abingdonii'') and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creat ...

, perhaps the most famous

tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

in the Galápagos Islands. He was the last known representative of the subspecies '' Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii''. Pinta Island is also home to swallow-tailed gulls, marine iguanas, Galapagos hawks, Galapagos fur seals and a number of other birds and mammals. The most northern major island in the Galápagos, at one time Isla Pinta had a thriving tortoise population. The island's vegetation was devastated over several decades by introduced feral goats, thus diminishing food supplies for the native tortoises. A prolonged effort to exterminate goats introduced to Pinta was completed in 1990, and the vegetation of the island is starting to return to its former state. The elongated island of Pinta is the northernmost of the active Galápagos volcanoes. Pinta is a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

with an extensive underwater footprint originating from NNW-trending fissures. On January 28, 2008, Galápagos National Park official Victor Carrion announced the killing of 53

sea lions Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

(13 pups, 25 youngsters, 9 males and 6 females) at Pinta, Galápagos Islands nature reserve with their heads caved in. In 2001 poachers killed 35 male sea lions. These acts were done for the initiative of the

Project Isabela The Project Isabela ( es, Proyecto Isabela) was an environmental restoration project in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador that took place between 1997 and 2006, initiated by the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park. Species ...

of removing the archipielago's introduced species.

References

* {{Galápagos Islands Volcanoes of the Galápagos Islands Active volcanoes Shield volcanoes of Ecuador Islands of the Galápagos Islands Polygenetic shield volcanoes

See also

References