Critically endangered tortoise becomes oldest first-time mom in world. See babies
One nearly century-old tortoise has been a fixture of the Philadelphia Zoo since 1932 — and now she’s living up to her name.
Mommy, the estimated 97-year-old Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise, became the oldest-known first-time mother of her species upon the hatching of her four babies, the Philadelphia Zoo announced in an April 3 news release.
The first of the four siblings hatched on Feb. 27, the zoo said. They’ve been eating and growing behind the scenes at the zoo but are set to make their public debut on April 23.
Now, the baby tortoises weigh about 2 to 3 ounces, or approximately the weight of a chicken egg, the zoo said.
The group of siblings could grow in the coming weeks as the animal care team monitors more eggs that could hatch, the zoo said.
Mommy bred with Abrazzo, an estimated 96-year-old tortoise, to hatch the first tortoises of this species in the zoo’s history.
The female tortoise has laid four clutches of eggs since 2023, but none have hatched, zoo officials said. Tortoises can lay two to 20 eggs in each clutch.
Mommy laid 16 eggs in November, which resulted in four hatchlings with potentially more to come, the zoo said. Tortoise eggs take between four and eight months to hatch.
The species faces serious threats in the wild, including conflict with humans, invasive species and habitat loss, according to the Philadelphia Zoo.
The four hatchlings added to the population of 44 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises in U.S. zoos, the news release said.
The species is native to the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, according to the zoo. They are one of 13 existing species native to the islands.
The babies’ public debut will also mark their mother’s 93rd anniversary of her arrival to Philadelphia, the zoo said.
“Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the Zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her,” Philadelphia Zoo President & CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement. “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.”
The four newborn tortoises don’t have names just yet, but zoo officials say incubation temperatures indicated they were female.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Critically endangered tortoise becomes oldest first-time mom in world. See babies."
