Galapagos tortoise celebrates his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day at Zoo Miami

A South Florida zoo's oldest resident celebrated his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day on Sunday.

MIAMI — A South Florida zoo’s oldest resident celebrated his 135th birthday and his first Father’s Day on Sunday.

Goliath, a 517-pound Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, became a father for the first time earlier this month, zoo officials said.

“Goliath is my hero, and I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others!” Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said in a statement. “He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!”

One egg out of a clutch of eight laid on Jan. 27 successfully hatched on June 4, officials said. Besides being Goliath’s first offspring, it is also the first time one of the endangered reptiles has hatched at Zoo Miami. The animals’ numbers were drastically reduced before the 20th century by human exploitation and the introduction of invasive species to the Galapagos Islands. Modern threats include climate change and habitat loss.

According to Goliath’s official record, he hatched on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15, between 1885 and 1890. The island group is located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles west of mainland Ecuador.