MIAMI (AP) – The longest residents at South Florida Zoo celebrated their 135th birthday and their first Father’s Day on Sunday.
Goliath, a 517-pound (234-kg) Galapagos turtle at the zoo Miami, first fathered earlier this month, a zoo official said.
“Goliath is my hero and I’m sure he’ll soon be an inspiration for many others!” said Ron McGill, a spokesman for the Zoo Miami. “He is proof that wherever he has will, there is a way, and he will never give up!”
One egg from eight clutches laid on January 27 was successfully hatched on June 4, officials said. In addition to being the first descendant of Goliath, this is the first time one of the endangered reptiles has been hatched at the zoo Miami. The number of animals fell dramatically before the 20th century due to human exploitation and the introduction of invasive species into the Galapagos Islands. Modern threats include climate change and habitat loss.
According to official Goliath records, he hatched the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15th between 1885 and 1890. The island group is located hundreds of miles of the Pacific equator on mainland Ecuador.
Goliath arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 1929 and moved to the Zoo Miami in 1981. He raised several different women during the zoo at Miami, but never had any offspring. The new Hatchling mother, Sweet Pea, is estimated to be between 85 and 100 years old.
Both parents do well in public habitats, officials said. Hatching appears to be healthy in another enclosure. Wild hatching is not raised by parents.
