|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
On this Father’s Day, June 15, Zoo Miami’s oldest animal celebrated his 135th birthday.
His name is “Goliath,” and he is a Galapagos tortoise that weighs 517 pounds. Up until the prior week, he had not fathered any offspring. That changed when after 128 days of incubation, one egg out of a clutch of eight that was laid Jan. 27 successfully hatched on June 4.
Not only is this the first offspring for Goliath, but it also is the first time in the history of Zoo Miami that a Galapagos tortoise has hatched, making this an historic event on multiple levels.
Goliath’s official record has him hatching out on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15, 1880. He arrived at the Bronx Zoo on July 23, 1929, and finally came to Zoo Miami on July 30, 1981. During his time at Zoo Miami, he had bred with several different females but had never successfully sired an offspring.
The mother is “Sweet Pea,” and she arrived at the Crandon Park Zoo on Key Biscayne as an adult in 1960, indicating that she is between 85 and 100 years old.
An application has been made to the Guinness Book of World Records to officially recognize Goliath as “The Oldest First-Time Father in History.” Considering the age of Sweet Pea, their combined age is over 200 and they may also qualify as “The Oldest First-Time Parents in History.”
Both Goliath and Sweet Pea are doing well on their public habitat and are not aware of their newly hatched offspring. 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. The hatchling appears to be healthy and has been removed from the incubator and placed in a separate enclosure where it is active and full of energy.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
