Houston Zoo's 90-year-old tortoise, Mr. Pickles, now a father of three

A 90-year-old radiated tortoise at the Houston Zoo called Mr. Pickles became a father for the first time after his partner of 27 years laid three eggs that hatched last week. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pickle's new family members were named Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño. The three hatchlings will be taken care of by a team at the Reptile & Amphibian House until they are old enough to join their parents. 

“These little Pickles are a big ‘dill’ for radiated tortoise genetics as their father is the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in The Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” Zoo officials said in a statement.

Radiated tortoises are native to southern Madagascar and are considered to be a critically endangered species. They are known for their domed shell with a streak that radiates from each plate. When they hatch they can be as small as 1.25 inches and grow to about 16 inches as they grow older. 

According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, female radiated tortoises lay between three and 12 eggs, which are incubated from five to eight months. However, tortoises don’t often reproduce.

The staff at the Houston zoo was surprised when they saw Mrs. Pickles, 53, laying eggs several months ago. 

"The soil in Houston isn’t hospitable to the Madagascar native tortoises, and it’s unlikely the eggs would have hatched on their own if the keeper hadn’t been in the right place at the right time," the Houston Zoo explained.