Three critically endangered big-headed turtles have hatched at London Zoo, in what has been dubbed a “miracle” for the turtles.
Only a few years ago, their parents were held captive by traffickers attempting to bring them into Canada.
They’ve since made themselves at home at London Zoo (UK). The father and mother turtles (two males and two females) were gradually introduced to one another. They ultimately mated three years later, and the new babies are the consequence.
They are severely endangered on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching for their flesh and the international pet trade.
The heads of big-headed turtles are so large that they can’t fit them back into their shells.
To fend against predators, they feature armor plating from head to tail and a razor-sharp beak.
“They represent a crucial and distinctive branch of the evolutionary tree, and they have a lot to teach us about animal adaptations.”
“On the face of it, there are no other species like them on the planet.”
‘We have the skills at ZSL London Zoo to provide this lonely species the particular care they needed, and we’re thrilled that this focused effort has paid off with these three hatchlings,’ said reptile keeper Kimberley Carter of the Zoological Society of London.
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