PHILADELPHIA (CNN) – A Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise at the Philadelphia Zoo just became a first-time mom and made history in the process.
According to the zoo, the tortoise named Mommy is estimated to be around 100 years old.
That makes her the oldest first-time mom of her species.
So far, there are four hatchlings.
The first one emerged in late February, and zoo officials are monitoring the rest of the eggs in case there are additional hatchlings in the coming weeks.
The zoo says the four that have hatched are believed to be female, and they will make their public debut later this month.
The hatchlings’ dad is a tortoise named Abrazzo, who is also estimated to be about a century old.
The zoo says Mommy and Abrazzo are its two oldest residents.
This type of tortoise is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Copyright 2025 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.