Throughout February and March, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park welcomed a small army of new yellow footed tortoise hatchlings. Also known as the Brazilian giant tortoise, these reptiles live in pockets throughout much of South America but are vulnerable to extinction. As adults, these tortoises make a raspy cooing sound. We here at ZooBorns would love to hear a tortoise talk!
Up close and personal
A salad fit for a giant tortoise!
Humans need more meals they can literally climb into!
North Dakota's Red River Zoo got a rare surprise last week when an anonymous donor dropped off two albino Common Snapping Turtles. Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin pigment and albino Snapping Turtles account for only one in every 30,000. In the wild, albino turtles rarely live to adulthood as their distinct coloring makes them stand out to predators as tasty snacks.
Photo credits: Red River Zoo
If you find yourself in or around Fargo, ND, you can visit the hatchlings Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4PM (weather permitting) throughout the winter.
The endangered Western Pond Turtle faces threats from habitat degradation and disease, but the biggest threat to these little turtles are invasive bullfrogs that have thrived in the Columbia River Gorge between Oregon and Washington. These huge frogs gobble up tiny turtle hatchlings like Whitman's Samplers. By breeding Western Pond Turtles and raising them until they are large enough to be off the bullfrog's menu, the Oregon Zoo is helping to rebuild the turtle population.
Preparing to storm the shores of the Columbia River Gorge
Early this month, Sea World San Diego announced the hatching of 82 Baby Sea Turtles on the park's Shipwreck Beach. The hatchlings, born without human aid or incubation, are developing well and park officials are pleased with the progress. The babies eat a varied diet of squid, krill, shrimp, and special pellets. Adult Sea Turtles live to be well over 100 years old!
Yellow-Spotted Amazon River Turtles grow to be one of South America's largest, up to 18 lbs and over a foot across, but start their lives only a bit larger than a quarter. Unfortunately for these endangered turtles, they are considered a popular delicacy in and around the Amazon River Basin. The Buffalo Zoo hatched these babies in October where they will soon be on display, and of course, off the menu.
Last week we brought you some great photos of three Loggerhead sea turtles that had been rescued by SeaWorld Orlando. Today we share a remarkable video of those same tiny turtles, along with many friends, being released back into the ocean. Hang tight through the first 18 seconds of text. It's worth it.
Rough seas caused by Hurricane Bill prevented this tiny week-old trio baby Loggerhead Sea Turtles from safely trekking to the ocean from their nest. Lucky for them, park rangers in Cape Canaveral, Florida scooped them up and sent them to Sea World Orlando's Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Team for a few days of pampering until the seas calm down. Weighing around an ounce at birth, adult Loggerheads reach up to 800lbs!
Loggerheads are threatened by crab and shrimp boats as well as human obstacles that impede their journey from their nest on the beach to the shoreline. Artificial lighting, noise and beach activity can confuse causing them to head away from the ocean and toward parking lots and city streets. Learn more about sea turtles in general on Sea World's info page or about Loggerheads specifically, including how to help, at Oceana.
Smaller than a matchbook (see picture below if you don't believe us) and weighing just 15 grams or the same as a few paper clips, this Chinese box turtle was born a few weeks ago at Bristol Zoo Gardens. Endangered due to overhunting for meat and medicinal purposes, Chinese box turtles are quite social and congregate in groups. In captivity they have been known to live up to 50 years.
Hatching in mud can be messy...
Thanks to ZB reader Meredyth for bring this to our attention.
This week the Knoxville Zoo became one of only four AZA accredited zoos to hatch critically endangered Burmese Star Tortoises. These little babies wriggled out of their shells to much fanfare, as habitat destruction and poaching has decimated the indigenous population in Myanmar. Can you believe anyone would want to eat these little guys (even if they do look grouchy)?!
These reptilian babies are as cute as can be, and they were photographed just one week ago (on my birthday). Get on over to the Frankfurt Zoo to catch a firsthand glimpse. This croc won't be so cuddly for long!
Zoo Frankfurt's baby Australian Freshwater Cocodile makes eyes at photographer Joachim S. Müller...
A Juvenile European pond terrapin goes for a ride...
The Frankfurt Zoological Garden
is the zoo of Frankfurt, Germany. It features over 5,000 animals of
more than 600 species on more than 13 hectares. The zoo was founded in
1858 and is the second oldest Zoo in Germany. It lies in the eastern
part of the Innenstadt (inner city).
"ZooBorns pulls off the difficult task of being cute and interesting for people of all ages while also being informative. Many books seek this lofty goal but most fail." - Seattle Post Intelligencer
