Critically endangered turtle species hatches at Zoo Atlanta
(Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Zoo Atlanta is welcoming its newest - and one of its rarest - addition to the family.
A critically endangered bog turtle hatched at the zoo on May 21. It's the first time one of its kind has hatched at Zoo Atlanta in 30 years.
The species, which the smallest turtle is North America, is found only in the eastern United States, including in northeast Georgia. Zoo Atlanta's three turtles were hatched in 2014 and 2015. This is the first year they've ever been able to successfully nest after a period of artificial incubation.
"This is a truly thrilling birth for us at Zoo Atlanta, not only because bog turtles are critically endangered, but also because we have not seen this species reproduce here at the Zoo in three decades," said Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, the zoo's vice president of collections and conservation.
Zoo officials say the turtle has a shell around the size of a quarter and will grow to the weight of under 4 ounces. It's endangered due to destruction of its mountain bog habitat - one of the most critically endangered habitats in the southern Appalachians.
While you won't be able to see the little one for a while, its father can be seen in the bog turtle habitat in the Georgia eXtremes building of Zoo Atlanta’s Scaly Slimy Spectacular complex.