TULSA -- The Tulsa Zoo announced the birth of 25 Aldabra tortoises on Wednesday.
The zoo says the number of hatchlings marks a new record. The zoo has now hatched 161 Aldabra tortoises since 1999, and says it is known for its successful breeding of the world's second-largest tortoise species.
“Starting in the late ‘90s we moved the females into a separate enclosure for the summer,” says Zookeeper Aaron Goodwin. “Male and female Aldabras have been observed by field researchers spending time apart. So we experimented. It’s difficult to move a 175 pound tortoise but after the girls’ first summer vacation — as we call it — they started laying fertile clutches. All of the hard work was, and is, definitely worth it.”
Zoo guests can view the hatchlings in the reptile nursery in the conservation center.
The zoo is home to three adult male and three adult female Aldabra tortoises. The adult males weigh nearly 400 pounds, while the females weigh about 175 pounds.
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