Cleveland zoo realizes after 50 years that Mary
the giant tortoise is a boy
18-11-2009 By John Horton, Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer), USA
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Mary the giant tortoise came out of her shell in a very unladylike way last week at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. There's a reason, though: She's a he.
The zoo long ago labeled Mary with an incorrect gender because of feminine characteristics.
After more than a half-century at the zoo, the 400-pound tortoise showed veterinarians something extra during a routine physical exam. The find left the medical staff a little shell-shocked. Nobody ever viewed Mary as a male, zoo Director Steve Taylor said. (It's often difficult to determine the sex of an Aldabra tortoise because its reproductive organs usually aren't visible.)
The zoo long ago labeled Mary with an incorrect gender because of feminine characteristics: a smaller size, a flatter lower shell and shorter tail. Mary also looked nothing like Tom and Tim, the other boys in the zoo's tortoise enclosure.
Basically, dude looks like a lady . . . but there's absolutely no doubt now that Mary's a Gary.
"We never had eggs," Taylor said. "Now we know why."
Mary, Tom and Tim arrived in Cleveland in 1955 after being claimed by zoo representatives on a safari to their native island habitat off the east coast of Africa. They're the oldest animals at the zoo, estimated to be between 75 and 100 years old. Aldabra tortoises can live well beyond 100 and are among the largest reptiles on the planet.
The trio summer near the zoo's Primate, Cat and Aquatic Building but spend the colder months off exhibit in warmer quarters. They'll be back in their outdoor exhibit in May or June.
Expect one to arrive with a new name.
(Bron: http://blog.cleveland.com/)
(Bron foto: Cleveland.com)
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