I admit it. I know I’m not supposed to, but of all the little ones, I have a favorite. Don’t tell the others, please.
Astrochelys radiata, the radiated tortoise
I know that all the babies are adorable, but this one has a special place in my heart. The population of the radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) has dropped by half in the last ten years. They have been wiped out of most of their range, so captive breeding programs are of critical importance. She’s the second one my zoo has hatched.
I call this one “she” because she was incubated as a female. Many reptiles have what is called temperature dependent sex determination. When the egg is first laid, the embryo within has no gender at all. The temperature at which it is incubated has an impact on whether they develop into boys or girls. Keepers can often produce the gender they need by altering the temperature at which they incubate the eggs. With this species of tortoise, higher temperatures usually yield more females. Lower temperatures tend to create males.
A perfectly proportioned tortoise in a tiny package
Here she is with her older sibling who was hatched in July. I have no idea whether the older one is male or female. Its egg incubated outdoors for a bit, so it was subject to unknown temperatures. Radiographs in a few years can tell if we’ve got a boy or a girl.
Pesky little sister
One thing I really enjoy about this baby is her personality. She is all go. I have no good recent pictures of her because she won’t sit still. From a biological standpoint, her curiosity isn’t a good thing because she might get eaten, but in captivity, it’s positively delightful.
I’ll be back on Monday full of my tales of adventure. And hopefully with some new pictures. Have a great weekend!
Becoming Cliche 
Beautiful ! I didn’t know about the temperature and gender selection – very interesting. It makes sense too although it is at the whim of nature/weather rather than a faithful parent to warm the nest so that is a bit tricky. They have lovely markings don’t they? Are they symmetrical, it’s hard to tell from these shots. Gorgeous all the same.
The markings aren’t symmetrical at all. As they grow, their markings will change significantly, but it’s the little quirks that make them unique.
I love how all creature have their own quirks and personalities – they look adorable.
They really do. I’ll be interested to watch how she develops to see if she becomes more reticent as she gets older. Her parents hiss at me every single week.
I had know clue that the temperature determines the gender. Totally interesting!
It’s incredibly cool. I’m used to animals whose genetics predetermine their gender.
That is so cool! I love them. They are just so cute.
They are! I love them! I want to keep them all!
“Temperature dependent sex determination” – who knew? Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
I know. I think of animals as being determined at conception. Reptiles are a whole new world!
Adorable and educational, as always! “I always thought…that dogs laid eggs…and I learned something today!” – Peter Griffin. 😉
I read an article today that contained the words “The owl gave birth to four chicks,” I had to scratch my head on that one.
Too cool… I honestly had no idea about the temperature-determined gender deal. Thanks for schooling me!
That’s me. Keeping it real.
She’s so pretty!
She really is! And her pattern is changing. More pictures next week.
Such a treasure to share in the development of these darlings. Thank you.
Thanks for reading! My favorite thing to talk about are my zoo animals!
Cool!
An informative dose of cuteness !!!
Hoping to have an even bigger dose of the cuteness for next week. It’s busy right now with my supervisor in Madagascar.
Hi,
A beautiful little turtle, and with it’s own little personality, that is just so cute. 😀
Too cute for words! Too cute!
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That is really cool. My kids will love this.
Please share it with them! The Turtle Survival Alliance now has a kids’ membership with their own newsletter and everything.
Can you take some video? I would love to see her in action.
I’ll see what I can do. My camera takes poopy videos. But she is really something!
hers cute!
She is darling! You can totally have a favorite, we just won’t tell her brother…
My son has been a responsible rearer of reptiles and amphibians since he was a child. He never grew out of his love for furless pets. I adore them too, of course.
My husband tolerates the reptiles we have at home, and he is delighted that I am working at the zoo at least once a week to maybe get some of it out of my system!