Diego may be over 100 years sure-enough , but the libido of this centenarian Casanova has helped to save a universe of giant Galapagos tortoises .

Diego has fathered an estimated 800 offspring in his life . His insatiate sexual appetite has played a major role in repopulating theChelonoidishoodensissubspecies on the island of Española , their native home base among the Galapagos Archipelago .

“ He ’s a very sexually active virile reproducer . He ’s contributed enormously to repopulating the island , " Washington Tapia , a tortoise preservation specialist at Galapagos National Park , toldAFP intelligence agency . While population numbers are not back to their former wellness , it ’s thought there are now 2,000Chelonoidis hoodensison the island of Española .

" We did a genetic study and we discovered that he was the male parent of virtually 40 per centum of the offspring released into the wilderness on Española , " he bestow .

Diego is around 90 centimeters ( 35 inches ) long and weighs about 80 kilogram ( 175 pound sterling ) . He spend a bonny portion of his 100 long time in San Diego zoo , hence his name , but was relocated to the islands in 1976 to help supercharge   the universe of tortoises on   Española . By all business relationship , that was a dependable move .

The Galapagos Islandshave become virtually synonymous with Charles Darwin and his seminal work from 1859 , “ On The Origin of Species ” . However , since the 19th century and this era of exploration , the island is retrieve to have lost between 100,000 to 200,000 tortoise and four disjoined race through overutilisation and tourism . It is estimated a amount of 20,000 wild tortoise , made up of between 12 to 14 different subspecies and separate   population , live on the islands today .

The most famous of   the jumbo Galapagos Island tortoises was " Lonesome George , " the Pinta Island tortoise   ( Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii ) . In his latter geezerhood , he was the last remaining mortal from this subspecies until he die out in 2012 . Who know , perhaps these sexploits have save theChelonoidis hoodensisfrom a similar fate .

Keep up the in force work , Diego .