Goliath, a 135-year-old Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, celebrated his first Father's Day with the birth of his hatchling on June 4. After a successful mating with Sweet Pea, Goliath fathered the first Galapagos tortoise hatchling at the zoo. The hatchling, now active and healthy, has been separated from its parents, as Galapagos tortoise offspring fend for themselves from birth. Zoo Miami is applying for Guinness World Records to officially recognize Goliath and Sweet Pea as the oldest first-time parents. Galapagos tortoises, native to the Galapagos Islands, have unique egg incubation conditions that affect hatchling sex.
Goliath the tortoise celebrated his first Father's Day at 135 years old after successfully fathering a hatchling at Zoo Miami, making record history.
In the wild, hatchlings are on their own from the moment they emerge from the egg, with parents having no further connection to them.
Zoo Miami is working with Guinness to recognize Goliath as the oldest first-time father in history after 43 years at the zoo.
Galapagos tortoises are herbivores native to the Galapagos Islands; their egg incubation temperature determines the hatchlings' sex and takes four to eight months.
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