The Oklahoma City Zoo’s family recently grew following the birth of five rare Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises.”We have five hatchlings that have moved out of the incubator,” Katie Porth, the Oklahoma City Zoo’s senior herpetology caretaker, said in a news release. “There are eleven extant species of Galápagos tortoises. We’re the only AZA-accredited zoo in the U.S. with a breeding group of Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises.”Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises are endemic to the Alcedo Volcano area of Isbela Island, which is the largest of the Galápagos Islands.The Oklahoma City Zoo has four adult Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises that range from 80 to 120 years old. “Welcoming these hatchlings is monumental considering Max, 80, is a ‘late bloomer,'” Porth said. “Max showed interest in the girls but didn’t really know what he was doing. We were getting perfectly good unfertilized eggs from the girls every year, but we weren’t getting any fertilized ones.”The new hatchlings will live in a new habitat inside the zoo’s herpetarium as they grow. They are currently palm sized, and it will take 10-15 years to get about as big as footballs.
The Oklahoma City Zoo’s family recently grew following the birth of five rare Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises.
“We have five hatchlings that have moved out of the incubator,” Katie Porth, the Oklahoma City Zoo’s senior herpetology caretaker, said in a news release. “There are eleven extant species of Galápagos tortoises. We’re the only AZA-accredited zoo in the U.S. with a breeding group of Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises.”
Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises are endemic to the Alcedo Volcano area of Isbela Island, which is the largest of the Galápagos Islands.
The Oklahoma City Zoo has four adult Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises that range from 80 to 120 years old.
OKC Zoo
Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises at the OKC Zoo
“Welcoming these hatchlings is monumental considering Max, 80, is a ‘late bloomer,'” Porth said. “Max showed interest in the girls but didn’t really know what he was doing. We were getting perfectly good unfertilized eggs from the girls every year, but we weren’t getting any fertilized ones.”
The new hatchlings will live in a new habitat inside the zoo’s herpetarium as they grow. They are currently palm sized, and it will take 10-15 years to get about as big as footballs.
