Tortoise celebrating first Father's Day at 135 years old. It may be a world record.
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Goliath with his heir. Photo: Ron Magill/Zoo Miami
A 134-year-old Galapagos tortoise is celebrating a potentially record-breaking Father's Day this weekend at Zoo Miami.
- Goliath the tortoise, who welcomed his first hatchling this month, is believed to be the oldest first-time father in recorded animal history, according to the zoo.
- On top of that honor, he's turning 135 on Sunday.
The big picture: Zoo Miami has submitted an application to the Guinness Book of World Records in the hopes of making it official.
- The mother of the hatchling, Sweet Pea, is believed to be 85-100 years old, which could also make her and Goliath the oldest first-time parents in animal history, per the zoo.
Catch up quick: Goliath, who weighs 517 pounds, was born on June 15, 1890 — making him the oldest animal at Zoo Miami.
- He arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 1929 and came to Zoo Miami in 1981, where he bred with several different females to no avail.
- That changed on June 4, when, after 128 days of incubation, one single egg out of eight in Sweat Pea's clutch hatched.
What they're saying: Ron Magill, Zoo Miami's goodwill ambassador and communications director, has followed Goliath's journey since he arrived at the zoo in 1981 and called him his "hero."
- "I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others! He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!"
Yes, but: Don't expect any father-son bonding time. Goliath "didn't seem to care much" when the hatchling was first introduced to him.
- In the wild, Magill explained, parents have no further contact with their hatchlings after they emerge from the egg.
- "Both Goliath and Sweet Pea are doing well on their public habitat and are not aware of their newly hatched offspring," he said. "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!"
