A Galapagos tortoise has become a first-time mother at 100 years old.
Keepers at Philadelphia Zoo announced the birth of four Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise hatchlings – the first ever born at the facility. The mother, known as Mommy, has lived at the zoo since 1932 and is now the oldest known member of her species to give birth for the first time.
The father, Abrazzo, is also a Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise. Both tortoises belong to a species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Members of the species can live up to 200 years.
“This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news with our city, region and the world,” said Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo’s president and CEO.
“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 births represent a critical achievement in the ongoing conservation efforts to preserve the species, which is native to the Galapagos Islands.
The zoo has confirmed the successful hatching of four critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, part of a clutch of 16 eggs laid by a 100-year-old female named ‘Mommy.’ The first hatchling emerged on February 27, and zoo officials say they will continue monitoring the remaining eggs in the coming weeks.
According to zoo staff, each of them weighs between 70 and 80 grams and is “eating and growing appropriately. “
The young tortoises are scheduled to make their public debut on April 23, the 93rd anniversary of Mommy’s arrival at the zoo in 1932.
Before this clutch, only 44 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises were known to live in US zoos. The species is classified as critically endangered, with conservation efforts hindered by limited genetic diversity.
The new hatchlings are considered a significant step forward in preserving the species, which faces threats from habitat loss, invasive species, and human activity in its native Galapagos Islands.
The Philadelphia Zoo’s tortoises are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP), a coordinated breeding program aimed at maintaining genetically healthy populations in human care.
Ashley Ortega, coordinator of the Galapagos tortoise SSP, called the hatchlings “some much-needed help to the species’ population,” adding that their arrival “accomplished something that was seemingly impossible,” given Mommy’s advanced age.
She was paired with Abrazzo, a male tortoise who arrived at the zoo in 2020. Though previous clutches had not been viable, the successful eggs – laid in November 2024 -incubated for approximately four to eight months.
Abrazzo is also the sire of five other tortoises born at a different facility in 2011, during his time at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.
“There was a time when each of the Galapagos Islands was home to its own unique species of tortoise, but sadly, several of those species are now extinct,” said Rachel Metz, vice president of animal well-being and conservation at the zoo.
“These hatchlings not only help protect the Western Santa Cruz species from extinction but also serve as ambassadors to inspire future generations to protect wildlife and wild places.”
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