Adult Basking on a Rock

Herpetology keeper, Chris Bednarski, holding the first hatchlings

Madagascar Big-headed Turtles (Erymnochelys madagascariensis) are facing extinction due to drastic deforestation and illegal hunting. They are ranked at number 16 in the world’s most endangered turtles and tortoises list .  We are proud to announce that we have had five hatch at the Houston Zoo, in our Madagascar lemur exhibit!. The hatchlings are very small, averaging 6.8g each. They are just a little larger than a US quarter, averaging only 28.7mm wide and 32.3mm long. This is the first hatching at a zoo in the United States, and we are one of the only zoos in the world that is currently breeding them.
This unique species can only be found in seven protected areas in western Madagascar: Ankarafantsika, Baly Bay, and Bemaraha National Parks, and the new protected reserves of Manambolamaty, Ambondrobe, Menabe-Antimena, and Mahavavy-Kinkony. They can lay up to 2 clutches of 10-20 eggs a year. The larger the turtle, the more eggs it can lay. The eggs will usually incubate at 86-87.8 degrees Fahrenheit (30-31 degrees Celsius) for around 60-90 days.

Little size, big deal

Often, the females will lay their eggs in the dry season, and the hatchlings will emerge in the rainy season. Ours were seen this past May engaging in preliminary nesting behavior, so we prepared the soil by adding sand to make it more “nest friendly” for the digging females.
Madagascar Big-headed turtles are fairly omnivorous, feeding on the fruits, flowers, leaves and consuming small vertebrates and fish. Here at the Houston Zoo, the turtles eat the vegetation in the exhibit along with a rotating diet consisting of specialized turtle pellets, shrimp, and smelt. Since they can be very aggressive towards each other, especially during breeding season, we took special care to add underwater hiding areas. You can see our seven adults in the water moat of our lemur exhibit, often enjoying the sun on the rocks and along the bank. The hatchlings have been removed from the moat to a safe location behind the scenes at the Reptile House. There they will be sheltered from predators and monitored closely to ensure a healthy life until they are bigger.

Here’s looking at you

There have been successful conservation programs in Madagascar working with the local communities to help reestablish and protect populations in the wild. Organizations such as The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust take local cultures and traditions into account in their conservation efforts. This is a critical step in making programs such as this a success.

For more information about the world’s most endangered turtles and tortoises, click here.

Look out world!

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