Rare albino Galapagos giant tortoise faces the world!!

TammyJ

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Yes. This is real. What is incorrect is that it is the first. There were a few that hatched in the Galapagos a while back. All died within a few months. So will be very interested to see how this one does.
Anyone have an idea why they died? Were they hatched in captivity?
 

Tom

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From the article:
"The mother, who weighs more than 100 kilograms (220 lb), laid five eggs on Feb. 11 and the albino baby hatched on May 1. The other baby hatched on May 5 after the eggs spent two-and-a-half months in an incubator.

The male weighs around 180 kg. The pair are about 30 years old and have just reached sexual maturity.

The success rate of mating is only around 2%-3% for this species. Baby turtles weigh about 50 grams at birth and fit in the palm of the hand."

This is cool, and I thank you for posting, but me being me... There are some inaccuracies and questionable statements in the article.

-Feb. 11 to May 1 is roughly 2 and a half months, but this species takes around 4 months to hatch at the mid range of acceptable incubation temperatures.
-Only two eggs hatched? How big was the clutch? First time mom?
-This species can breed as early as 17 years old, and probably a little earlier than that in some circumstances. The article said they are just reaching maturity at 30 years old. That is not accurate. This may be the first time that this particular pair has produced offspring, but they should have been sexually mature a long time ago.
- The success rate of mating is 2-3%? What does this mean. Are they referring to the percentage of mounting attempts that actually lead to intromission? Hatch rate of eggs? Fertility rate of laid eggs? When done even reasonably well, this species produces many more offspring than whatever this 2-3% number is indicating.
-Normal hatch weight for this species is around 65-85 grams depending on the size of the female and the size of her eggs, not 50 grams.


This kind of rampant misinformation about tortoises is everywhere, and it bugs me to no end. Why do they do this? Where are they getting this info, and why can't they make a simple call or email to verify these things? My info is based on people who actually work with this species, breed and hatch them.
 

Oxalis

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From the article:
"The mother, who weighs more than 100 kilograms (220 lb), laid five eggs on Feb. 11 and the albino baby hatched on May 1. The other baby hatched on May 5 after the eggs spent two-and-a-half months in an incubator.

The male weighs around 180 kg. The pair are about 30 years old and have just reached sexual maturity.

The success rate of mating is only around 2%-3% for this species. Baby turtles weigh about 50 grams at birth and fit in the palm of the hand."

This is cool, and I thank you for posting, but me being me... There are some inaccuracies and questionable statements in the article.

-Feb. 11 to May 1 is roughly 2 and a half months, but this species takes around 4 months to hatch at the mid range of acceptable incubation temperatures.
-Only two eggs hatched? How big was the clutch? First time mom?
-This species can breed as early as 17 years old, and probably a little earlier than that in some circumstances. The article said they are just reaching maturity at 30 years old. That is not accurate. This may be the first time that this particular pair has produced offspring, but they should have been sexually mature a long time ago.
- The success rate of mating is 2-3%? What does this mean. Are they referring to the percentage of mounting attempts that actually lead to intromission? Hatch rate of eggs? Fertility rate of laid eggs? When done even reasonably well, this species produces many more offspring than whatever this 2-3% number is indicating.
-Normal hatch weight for this species is around 65-85 grams depending on the size of the female and the size of her eggs, not 50 grams.


This kind of rampant misinformation about tortoises is everywhere, and it bugs me to no end. Why do they do this? Where are they getting this info, and why can't they make a simple call or email to verify these things? My info is based on people who actually work with this species, breed and hatch them.
So cool to see an albino tortoise! As usual, I am so grateful for @Tom to help us navigate the sea of misinformation about tortoises (I also try to pass on the facts to people I know). I was a little confused by the stats in the article, so thank you!! :D
 
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