PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Zoo, America’s first zoo, is celebrating a historic first—a rare giant tortoise now holds the record as the oldest first-time mother of her species.
Her name is Mommy, a western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise. She has lived at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1932 and is estimated to be 97 years old.
Lauren Augustine, director of herpetology at the Philadelphia Zoo, said that Mommy laid a clutch of eggs in November, and by the end of February, they had started to hatch.
"We had 16 eggs total in that clutch; not all showed signs of development, but so far, we have 4 hatchlings," said Augustine.
Each of the hatchlings is about the size of a tennis ball.
Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are considered critically endangered in the wild.
"This is pretty special because there are only 44 western Santa Cruz Island Galápagos tortoises in the United States, but it's even more special because of the age of our animals," said Augustine.
Mommy was paired with Abrazzo, a 96-year-old male tortoise who arrived at the zoo in 2020 as part of a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan program.
"We are working collaboratively within our network to create the highest genetic diversity within our populations so we have the best success in preserving their lineages," said Augustine.
The giant tortoise parents can be seen in their outdoor yard at the zoo, but their babies are being cared for behind the scenes. The hatchlings will make their public debut inside the Reptile and Amphibian House on April 23rd, which happens to be the 93rd Anniversary of when Mommy arrived at the Philly zoo.