100-Year-Old Tortoises Become First-time Parents

A pair of Galapagos tortoises, the two oldest residents at the Philadelphia Zoo, have become first-time parents to at least four healthy hatchlings. The female, named Mommy, and her mate Abrazzo are both estimated to be about 100 years old.

The babies are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), a gene-sharing network of zoos and other facilities that work to maintain a genetically diverse population of endangered and other species. 

“As an AZA-accredited institution, we take great responsibility participating in the Galapagos Tortoise Species Survival Plan, and are thrilled for this successful pairing of Mommy and Abrazzo,” the zoo’s vice president of Animal Well-Being and Conservation Rachel Metz says in a press release. 

Mommy and Abrazzo are Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, the world’s largest species. Males like Abrizzo can weigh up to 500 pounds, and females average around half that. Listed as critically endangered by the IUCN,  the last clutch of the species to hatch in an AZA accredited zoo was in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina.

It is believed that Mommy is the oldest first-time reproducing female of her species, certainly of any first-timer in a US zoo. She laid 16 eggs in November; with the four new hatchlings, there are now 48 Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoises in all US zoos combined.

“These hatchlings not only protect the species from extinction,” says Metz,  “but serve as important ambassadors to inspire guests to save wildlife and wild places.”

The hatchlings will make their public debut on April 23, which happens to be the 93rd anniversary of Mommy’s arrival at the zoo. The new arrivals will remain in Philadelphia for at least five years, after which they will be moved to other facilities within the AZA SSP network. Gotta share those genes. 

The blessed event is captured on film here.

Photo credit: Philadelphia Zoo