Canarian Weekly
01-02-2013, 12:40
LORO PARQUE’S two female Galapagos turtles (Geochelone nigra) have laid eggs for the first time, which is a milestone for the park.
It is an important achievement environmentally because they are a long-living species, but are vulnerable, with delayed reproduction – in zoos as well as in the wild.
So the first eggs laid, although not fertile, indicate they will soon reproduce.
The Loro Parque females, who are over 20 years old, live together with Tom,
He is a male of about 50 with whom they share an open exhibition, which
has been specially created for them, and each animal has its own cave.
The Galapagos are the largest turtles on the planet and they can weigh up to 250 kilos.
They used to inhabit every continent, except Australia and Antarctica, and are now virtually extinct on the mainland.
They live only on the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, where there are populations in various localities.
Turtles usually spawn their eggs on the ground and plug up the holes for incubation.
So the keepers and veterinarian team monitor the animals carefully, with frequent ultrasounds, to observe this reproductive stage.
The Galapagos turtle is a threatened species and listed as rare as a result of the hunting, destruction of their habitat and the introduction of animals competing with them for food.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/giant-turtles-offer-hope-babies/)
It is an important achievement environmentally because they are a long-living species, but are vulnerable, with delayed reproduction – in zoos as well as in the wild.
So the first eggs laid, although not fertile, indicate they will soon reproduce.
The Loro Parque females, who are over 20 years old, live together with Tom,
He is a male of about 50 with whom they share an open exhibition, which
has been specially created for them, and each animal has its own cave.
The Galapagos are the largest turtles on the planet and they can weigh up to 250 kilos.
They used to inhabit every continent, except Australia and Antarctica, and are now virtually extinct on the mainland.
They live only on the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, where there are populations in various localities.
Turtles usually spawn their eggs on the ground and plug up the holes for incubation.
So the keepers and veterinarian team monitor the animals carefully, with frequent ultrasounds, to observe this reproductive stage.
The Galapagos turtle is a threatened species and listed as rare as a result of the hunting, destruction of their habitat and the introduction of animals competing with them for food.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/giant-turtles-offer-hope-babies/)