A pair of critically endangered Galapagos tortoises who are almost 100 years old have become first-time parents.
Philadelphia Zoo said it was “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, who arrived at the zoo in 1932, and male Abrazzo, the zoo’s two oldest residents.
The hatchings will make their public debut on April 23, which is the 93rd anniversary of Mommy’s arrival at the zoo.
Mommy and Abrazzo enter parenthood at nearly 100
They are being kept behind the scenes inside the Reptile and Amphibian House for now, “eating and growing appropriately”, according to the zoo.
They weigh between 70 and 80 grams, about the weight of a chicken egg. The first egg hatched on February 27, with more unhatched eggs still being monitored by the zoo’s animal care team.
“This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news,” 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.
Mommy is considered one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species survival plan.
She is also the oldest first-time mum of the Western Santa Cruz Galapagos species.
The last clutch of such tortoises to hatch at an AZA-accredited zoo was in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.
The zoo plans a public debut of the hatchlings on April 23, as well as a naming contest.
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