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Four endangered sister tortoises have made their highly anticipated public unveiling at the Philadelphia Zoo as the first hatchling of their 100 - year - old female parent , Mommy .
Mommy , a western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise ( Chelonoidis niger porteri ) , made international headline earlier this month for becoming theoldest first - fourth dimension momof her mintage . Mommy ’s exact age is unknown , but she is around 100 years old and has been at the menagerie for more than 90 of those .
The new babies grade the first time Philadelphia Zoo has breed western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises in its more than 150 - twelvemonth history . Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises are critically endangered in their native home of the Galápagos Islands , and there are fewer than 50 kept in U.S. zoos .
The zoo bring out Mommy ’s four child girls on Wednesday ( April 23 ) , as eager press representative draw up to get pic and video of the new maven attractions . Wednesday also score the 93rd anniversary of Mommy ’s reaching at the zoological garden .
" THEY’RE FINALLY HERE ! " a spokesperson for Philadelphia Zoo wrote in aFacebook Wiley Post . " Mommy the Galapagos tortoise ’s four child daughter have just made their public debut inside the Reptile and Amphibian House in pureness of today marking 93 geezerhood of Mommy at the Zoo . "
touch on : World ’s oldest tortoise still randy at 191 years old
westerly Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise are a race of the Galápagos tortoise , which is the largest tortoise specie on Earth . Males — typically larger than female — can mature up to around 1.8 meters ( 6 feet ) in length , and weigh up to around 570 pounds ( 260 kilograms ) , according to theSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance .
Human activity has driven several Galápagos tortoise species to defunctness , while westerly Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises number just a few thousand . The tortoises have historically have from people hunting them for meat , and have had their ecosystem break up by invasive coinage admit predators like cats and rats , which feed on young tortoises and their eggs , according to the International Union for Conservation of NatureRed List .
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Mommy ’s new baby are part of a captive genteelness program in U.S. zoos to help safeguard westerly Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises . Because Mommy had never bred before , this is the first time she has pass on her genes , helping to keep the captive population genetically divers and healthy .
" These newest additions represent a unexampled genetic lineage and some much - needed help to the population of this critically endangered mintage in human care , " the zoo ’s spokesperson said .
The babies could have a long life story ahead of them . Researchers do n’t have sex the maximal life-time of Galápagos tortoises , but one individual was record gain the age of 171 , according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance . Once tortoises reach maturity , they commonly remainreproductively activefor the residual of their life , and can keep breeding long into old age .
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