The Giant Galápagos tortoises who become first-time parents at nearly 100 years old (NBC10 Philadelphia)
A pair of critically endangered giant tortoises aged around 100 years old, have become first-time parents at Philadelphia Zoo.
In April, “Mommy” a Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise, produced four female hatchlings and these have now been followed by three male hatchlings.
The seven youngsters came from a clutch of 16 eggs and are the first to be born in the zoo’s 150-plus-year history.
The mother is believed to be 97-years-old, with the father (named Abrazzo) a mere youngster at just 96!
There are fewer than 50 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises kept in US zoos, and the hatchlings are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ breeding programme, aimed at the survival of species and genetic diversity.
Long-term residents
At nearly 100 years old, the hatchlings’ parents are unsurprisingly the zoo’s two oldest residents, with “Mommy” considered to be one of the most genetically valuable Galápagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP).
She became the oldest known first-time mother of her species.
The young golden girls
The new male hatchlings are still waiting to be named, but their sisters who arrived about a month before them, do have their own identities now.
The public, who were asked to help name them, went down the Golden Girls route and called them: Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia. The hatchlings will remain at the Zoo for at least five years.
Temperature is the key
Immediately after “Mommy” laid her eggs, the reptile and amphibian team dug them up to incubate eight as male and eight as female. Eggs then hatch anytime between four to eight months later.
The sex of Galápagos tortoise hatchlings is determined by the incubation temperature, with anything below 82.4°F producing males and above 85.1°F producing females.
Part of on-going project
Vice President of Animal Well-Being, Rachel Metz said that the success has been years in the making, dating back to the arrival of “Abrazzo” at the zoo in 2020.
“Our sincerest gratitude for this success goes to the passionate and diligent work by experts in the AZA community and the entire Philadelphia Zoo team, including the countless keepers that kept “Mommy” healthy and thriving,” she said.
Older than any probable visitor
With her arriving at the zoo all the way back in 1932, it means that incredibly anyone that has visited during the last 93 years has very likely seen her.
Her “partner” is a much newer arrival, with “Abrazzo” having moved to Philadelphia in 2020, after previously living at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina.
Initially, the pair struggled to mate, but over time, they successfully bonded.
Capable of living to 200
Western Santa Cruz Galápagos giant tortoises are the largest tortoise species on Earth, with the males capable of a size up to 500 pounds, whilst the females average around half that weight.
They are cold-blooded animals and spend one to two hours basking in the sun before spending another eight to nine hours grazing and relaxing, which maybe explains why scientists estimate they can live between 100 and 200 years.
Essentially, Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that the hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galápagos tortoises looking 100 years into the future.
The Galapagos Islands themselves are located roughly 600 miles west of Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
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