Latest news with #GalapagosTortoises
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Giant tortoise celebrates his 135th birthday - and first Father's Day
A giant Galapagos tortoise has turned 135 – and he's also just become a father for the first time, says Miami Zoo officials. Despite multiple breeding attempts throughout his lifetime, Goliath never successfully fathered any offspring. This all changed with a recent unexpected surprise. After 128 days of incubation, one egg out of a clutch of eight that was laid on January 27 successfully hatched on June 4. 'The hatchling appears to be healthy and has been removed from the incubator and placed in a separate enclosure where it is active and full of energy,' the zoo said. 'Goliath' hatched on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15, 1890, and later moved to the Bronx Zoo in July 1929. Ultimately, he settled at the Miami Zoo in July 1981. Miami zoo officials are anticipating a possible world record and applied to the Guinness Book of World Records to get Goliath the recognition he deserves as 'The oldest first-time father in history!' 'Not only is this the first offspring for Goliath, but it is also the first time in the history of Zoo Miami that a Galapagos tortoise has hatched, making this a historic event on multiple levels!' Miami Zoo said Friday. Galapagos Tortoises can live for over 100 years in captivity, as research has found that they possess multiple gene variants linked to DNA repair, immune response, and cancer suppression. The mother of the tortoise hatchling is also pushing record numbers, with an age between 85 and 100 years old. 'Sweet Pea' arrived at the Crandon Park Zoo on Key Biscayne, Florida, as an adult in 1960. The reptile pair share a combined age of over 200 and may qualify as 'The oldest first-time parents in history,' the zoo said. 'Both Goliath and Sweet Pea are doing well in their public habitat and are not aware of their newly hatched offspring,' the statement added. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a Seychelles giant tortoise is the oldest living tortoise, at 191 years of age. The tortoise, named Jonathan, lives on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena. Miami Zoo said Goliath's story was 'an inspiration [for all] to never give up hope!'
CBS News
16-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Philadelphia Zoo welcomes 3 baby Galapagos tortoises to join the "Golden Girls"
The Philadelphia Zoo welcomed three new additions to its animal family this week after a group of male Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises hatched. The boys join the Golden Girls — four female tortoises hatched earlier this year who were named Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia after a community vote. The first of the boys began to hatch on April 14. Philadelphia Zoo All seven babies are the offspring of female Mommy and male Abrazzo, the zoo's two oldest residents. Mommy is also considered the oldest first-time mom of her species. She's been at the zoo for more than nine decades. The sex of these tortoises is determined by the temperature during incubation, which the zoo can influence. Temperatures below 82.4 degrees produce males, and conditions above 85.1 degrees produce females. The eggs hatch after four to eight months. Mommy laid the eggs that have hatched so far in November 2024, and staff at the zoo chose to incubate some at a temperature that would produce males and some at a temperature that would produce females. All of the babies are staying in the Reptile and Amphibian House for now. Philadelphia Zoo Nine more eggs that Mommy laid in January are still developing and could hatch soon, according to the zoo. "Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the Zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her," President and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement in April. "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." Philadelphia Zoo Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are critically endangered, and these babies are part of a program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that is working to keep species like this alive. "This success has been a years-long process from bringing Abrazzo to the Zoo in 2020, to fundraising for nesting materials in 2021 and introducing Mommy and Abrazzo in 2022," Vice President of Animal Well-Being Rachel Metz said in a statement. "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 over the last 93 years." The zoo is selling merch to celebrate the tortoises and raise money for its animal care fund.
