Photo: Ron Magill / Zoo Miami
A Galapagos tortoise known as Goliath is at the center of several history-making circumstances. Just days before his 135th birthday—making him the oldest resident of Zoo Miami—Goliath became a father for the first time. The exciting birth also marks the first time a Galapagos tortoise has been born at this South Florida institution.
The zoo reports that the baby tortoise seems to be healthy and has been removed from an incubator. The hatchling, which has yet to be named, came from an egg out of a clutch of eight that was laid January 27. After an incubation period of 128 days, it was born on June 4. The mother of the hatchling is a tortoise named Sweet Pea, who is thought to be between 85 and 100 years old.
Before becoming a dad, Goliath has had quite the history. He was born on June 15, 1890, on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos, off the coast of Ecuador. He arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 1929, where he lived for over half a century before being moved to his current home, the Zoo Miami, in 1981. The zoo shares that he had bred with several different female tortoises but never had any offspring until now.
As exciting as this moment is, neither Goliath nor Sweet Pea are really aware of how monumental it is—or even conscious of the birth itself. “In the wild, hatchlings are on their own from the moment they emerge from the egg and the parents have no further connection to them,” explains the zoo. The team has now placed the hatchling in a separate enclosure, where it has shown to be an energetic little critter, ready to take on the world.
“Goliath is my hero, and I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others!” Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said via a statement to ABC. “He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!” The occasion has even prompted the zoo to apply to the Guinness Book of World Records to get Goliath the title of “The Oldest First-Time Father in History.”
To stay up to date with Goliath and the hatchling, including any name announcements or a public debut date, make sure to follow Miami Zoo on Instagram.
A Galapagos tortoise known as Goliath became a father for the first time just days before his 135th birthday.
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Sources: Zoo Miami Galapagos Tortoise Celebrates Being a Father for the First Time at Age 134!; Galapagos tortoise celebrates 135th birthday and first Father's Day at Zoo Miami
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