Critically endangered pancake tortoise hatches for first time at Denver Zoo
Why it matters: She's the first African pancake tortoise ever successfully bred and hatched at the Denver Zoo in its 129-year history.
Zoom out: She joins the zoo's four other aptly named pancake tortoises: her mom, Waffles, and three males — Short-Stack, Denny and Flapjack.
The big picture: Pancake tortoises — known for their flat physique and unexpectedly agile nature — are native to East Africa and critically endangered due in large part to habitat loss and the illegal pet trade, per the IUCN Red List.
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