Galapagos tortoises at Philadelphia Zoo become first-time parents at nearly 100
A pair of critically endangered, nearly 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo have become first-time parents.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A pair of critically endangered, nearly 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo have become first-time parents.
In an announcement Friday, the zoo said it is “overjoyed” at the arrivals of the four hatchlings, a first in its more than 150-year history. The babies are the offspring of female Mommy and male Abrazzo, the zoo’s two oldest residents.
The quartet is being kept behind the scenes inside the Reptile and Amphibian House for now, “eating and growing appropriately,” the zoo said. They weigh between 70 and 80 grams, about the weight of a chicken egg. The first egg hatched on Feb. 27, and more eggs that still could hatch are being monitored by the zoo’s animal care team.
One of four hatchlings of critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises. The hatchlings’ parents are the Zoo’s two oldest residents, each estimated to be around 100 years old.Philadelphia Zoo via Youtube“This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news with our city, region and the world,” President and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement.
“Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the Zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her,” she said. “Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now.”
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