Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Pickles: Baby Tortoises Finally Hatched!

A couple of radiated tortoises had their first offspring, after almost 30 years of cohabitation, at the Houston Zoo in Texas, United States – with the help of dedicated staff members who played a key role in the survival of the younglings.

“Our herpetology keeper happened to be at the right place at the right time,” states Tarah Cornelius, the Houston Zoo’s director of animal care. “If you don’t see the female actually digging a hole and laying the eggs, it can very easily be missed,” further explains Jon Rold, supervisor of herpetology and entomology at the Houston Zoo.

The radiated tortoise – whose name is inspired by the yellow line that radiates from the center of each plate on its shells – is a critically endangered species that produce few offspring. Native to the island of Madagascar, radiate tortoises have been introduced to the nearby islands of Réunion and Mauritius. They can live up to 150 years, grow to 38 cm, and weigh up to 10 kilos. The happy first-time parents – Mr. Pickles, 90, and Mrs. Pickles, only 53 – have been living together since 1996 when the female arrived at the zoo. Transferred to the Reptile & Amphibian House, the eggs needed the right level of heat – first under 10 degrees Celsius, then at room temperature, and finally, under 27 degrees Celsius in an incubator. Once the three babies – aptly called Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño – reach a certain maturity, they will be introduced to their parents.