Playboy Tortoise Had So Much Sex, He Single-handedly Saved His Species From Extinction

Among humans, a playboy lifestyle is usually frowned upon and deemed as undesirable. But for one tortoise, his active sex life might have saved his entire species from extinction.

Due to the dwindling giant tortoise population on Espanola, Galapagos Islands, Diego was one of the tortoises from the San Diego Zoo shipped to the island for a breeding program, CNN reported. But he quickly set himself apart from his peers as his incredible libido is one of the major factors that helped the repopulation campaign become a success.

There were just two males and 12 females of tortoises on the island when Diego was brought in. But with the help of Diego’s amorous personality, the tortoise population steadily grew and is now over 2,000 strong. The amazing thing is that around 40 percent of that population is sired by Diego himself, according to Galapagos National Parks service.

“He's contributed a large percentage to the lineage that we are returning to Espanola,” park director Jorge Carrion told AFP. “There's a feeling of happiness to have the possibility of returning that tortoise to his natural state.”

There were 15 tortoises that were part of the program to repopulate the Galapagos Island’s tortoise population. However, Diego is credited for having contributed the most to the breeding campaign’s successes thanks to his super active sex life.

Now that the population reached 2,000, park officials deemed it a safe enough number that a breeding program will no longer be necessary. “About 1,800 tortoises have been returned to Espanola and now with natural reproduction, we have approximately 2,000 tortoises,” Carrion explained.

Park officials are now confident that with the current population of 2,000 the tortoises will be able to naturally maintain their population on their own. “This shows that they are able to grow, they are able to reproduce, they are able to develop,” Carrion added.

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of islands that is part of the Republic of Ecuador. Located around 906 kilometers from continental Ecuador, it is one of the premier destinations of the world for wildlife viewing. Notable guests who have visited the islands in the past include Charles Darwin, whose observations and collections in the islands helped in the creation of Darwin’s theory of evolution.