r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Electrical-Aspect-13 • 1d ago

The April of 2025 a Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise named "Mommy" became the oldest 1st time mother of their species at 97 years old. Of a clutch of 16, 4 hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo.

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3.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

68

u/Saruvan_the_White 1d ago edited 1d ago

Beautiful and majestic creatures. I couldn’t help smiling when I saw the hatchlings.

Edit: clumsy fingers

104

u/Connect-Internet1156 1d ago

I have a genuine question. Does the fact the turtle is older come with any birth defects like how our species deals with? (Ie) birth defects being a higher risk the older you give birth. Or do turtles just not get effected by this?

33

u/Jerkrollatex 19h ago

Only four of the eggs hatched out of sixteen. That seems like a larger than normal rate for unviable eggs.

54

u/GfunkWarrior28 1d ago

Fortunately they can have a lot more eggs than human women can bear children.

9

u/idrwierd 22h ago

Older..?

Don’t these live centuries?

133

u/CapableEmergency3251 1d ago

The newborn names are Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael.

Source: their stepfather, old rat guy

18

u/Ancient-Civilization 1d ago

I hope they never separate the siblings so other zoos can make more profit.

47

u/Fetlocks_Glistening 1d ago

Ok, how in the world could they know that no Galapagos tortoise in the history of Galapagos tortoises  has ever been a first time mother at 98??

46

u/-dull- 1d ago

While they don't know for sure, but because there's only a couple thousand of this species, scientists probably confirmed odds are that in the wild most old tortoises have already hatched eggs.

Since this one has been at the zoo for at least 90 years, odds she's the oldest first time Mom is very high.

16

u/Intention-Sad 1d ago

I think the better word should be the “oldest in captivity”.

5

u/Fetlocks_Glistening 1d ago

I mean, outliers do happen in populations of thousands. 

So, it sounds like a "maybe, maybe not" then

3

u/Foreign-Wolf-6128 1d ago

True but I would say more likely than not😇

26

u/Reasonable-Scheme681 1d ago

They probably could have worded it to say “on record” to clear it up?

10

u/Bobblefighterman 1d ago

All records do not include unknown factors. That's why it's a record. Because it was recorded.

17

u/linguist_turned_SAHM 1d ago

The Philadelphia zoo is the oldest zoo in the United States. The tortoise could have been born there. And now I’m going to go find out.

Edit: she was brought to the zoo in 1932. So it can be assumed that whoever else had her as a baby would’ve known if she’d been bred before.

11

u/Fetlocks_Glistening 1d ago

That's nice for the zoo, but doesn't address all the other Galapagos tortoises not born there though?

3

u/Lokinir 22h ago

And how do we know that some caveman didn't beat the record for fastest 100 meter sprint?

-1

u/Glittering_Ad1403 1d ago

and how do they know definitively that she’s 98 y.o.?

9

u/Mysterious7599 22h ago

Mommy waited almost a century and then said, “Fine, let's have 16.” Absolute legend.

12

u/London_Calling1983 1d ago

Surely, surely, they will be named Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael?

13

u/pandolfomalatestes 1d ago

Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy, and Rose

6

u/AmbiguouslyAltered 1d ago

Proud of momma!

6

u/RosieMelodi 22h ago

I saw Mommy & her babies in person last year! ☺️

7

u/supermufffin 22h ago

So wait, they named her “Mommy”, and then 90 years later she had babies?

9

u/snortwheeze 1d ago

Probably safe enough to say oldest first time mom of any animal species

4

u/Mauchit_Ron 1d ago

It's so crazy to think that the instant these things are born they are already 100 years old. Nature is beautiful 🥹

3

u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla 1d ago

What did she name her babies?

2

u/Ch00m77 17h ago

You go girl!

1

u/LAyersFur 6h ago

Is she really that ugly that it took almost a century for her to get laid?

-7

u/Real_Independence877 1d ago

Yes! Keep them in captivity instead of rehoming them to the Galapagos Islands. God bless Merica!

10

u/Background-Slide645 1d ago

Typically our zoos these days are meant to help conservation efforts. IIRC, some do eventually get readied to get sent out to wild once the population in the zoo's are at a population that they can be easily studied

7

u/Gingergirl1228 23h ago

The Philadelphia Zoo has had accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for as long as the accreditation has existed (over 50 years now) and it is the oldest Zoo in the United States. Not every animal born in captivity is eligible for release, and those that are typically aren't accustomed to Humans. The Zoos these tortoises are living at are doing an incredible thing by keeping these endangered species alive and, hopefully someday, when their numbers are stronger, releasing them back to their native habitats. Please do not make the incorrect assumption that all Zoos and Aquariums are horrible animal jails, especially not my home Zoo :( The Philadelphia Zoo has a very active SSP (Species Survival Plans) and have helped breed up many endangered species (including Amur Tigers, Black-And-White Colobus monkeys and, as the post implies, Galapagos Tortoises!) And these species may eventually be transferred to another Zoo for preparation into release, or they may imprint early on humans and become ineligible, but theyre keeping the species alive and healthy, and thats what matters.

(Also, sorry for the wordiness of this reply, but please do some research on why they cant just release every animal they have, theyre there for a reason. And please watch Casual Geographic's latest video it should explain more about the good Zoos and Aquariums accredited by the AZA do)