Paul Souders/Getty Images
Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island tortoises, died in 2012, leaving no offspring. His solitude was imposed upon him by humans who killed the rest of his species and brought goats to his island in the Galapagos, destroying their habitat. But Lonesome George probably didn’t much mind being on his own. Tortoises are generally solitary, coming together only to mate. The same is true of most reptiles and even many mammals, including bears, moose, tigers, sloths, platypuses, rhinos and pangolins.
As social creatures ourselves, it is only natural that we are fascinated by animal societies, from wolf packs…
