The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the birth of five new Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises. OKC Zoo is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoo in the nation to breed this species of Galápagos tortoises.
“We have five hatchlings that have moved out of the incubator,” said OKC Zoo’s Senior Herpetology Caretaker, Katie Porth. “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.”
As the name implies, Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises (Chelonoidis vandenburghi) are endemic to the Alcedo Volcano area in the central part of Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos Islands.
The Zoo cares for four adult Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises ranging from 80 to 120 years old—females, Miss B, Isabela (Isa for short), and Ellie and male, Max—ensuring the new hatchlings are from the same subspecies. The Zoo participates in the AZA’s Species Survival Plan® program for giant tortoises which made the recommendation for Max to breed with the females.
“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,” she said. “We were getting perfectly good unfertilized eggs from the girls every year, but we weren’t getting any fertilized ones.”
Porth and the reptile care team helped train Max through positive reinforcement to target his body in the right area for fertilization.
The next issue was getting the eggs properly buried. As birds build nests, Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises dig holes to lay eggs, then cover them up to prevent others from eating them. Zoo caretakers made changes to the substrate in the tortoises’ enclosure to make it easier to lay and cover the eggs. Once a clutch was laid, caretakers relocated the eggs to an incubator where it takes between four and eight months to hatch.
The new hatchlings will reside in a new habitat inside the Zoo’s Herpetarium as they grow and where guests can see them. The currently palm-sized tortoises will take 10 to 15 years to get about as big as footballs, Porth said.
Galápagos tortoises do not parent their young, so keeping them separate from the adult tortoises ensures their development. The sex of the hatchlings will not be known for 10 to 15 years. Galápagos tortoises sexually mature at between 20 and 25 years old. In human care, these tortoises can live to be up to 200 years old. Miss B, the oldest at the Zoo, is estimated to be between 115 and 140 years old.
2024 marks the 50th year that Max has been a resident of the Zoo. Guests can visit Max and all of the adult tortoises at the Zoo’s Galápagos tortoise habitat presented by Clark and Kay Musser and located in the Children’s Zoo. Wildlife fans who are interested in meeting the Zoo’s creep of tortoises up-close can participate in a Galápagos tortoise Wild Encounter for $50 per person ($45 per person for ZOOfriends members). Visit okczoo.org/plan_your_visit#WE to learn more.
These newest arrivals are cause for shellebration and can be seen now inside the Zoo’s Herpetarium!
The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Through Labor Day, Monday, September 2, the Zoo is open daily at 8:30 a.m. for ZOOfriends with current memberships. Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.
Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.
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