One spiny hill turtle, Heosemys spinosa, hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium on Monday, from a clutch of three eggs that were laid on June 18. The eggs were incubated at 82 degrees. The hatchling weighs 26 grams and is roughly 2.25 inches across.
This is only the eighth successful hatchling of this species at the aquarium. According to Senior Herpetologist Bill Hughes, each successful hatchling improves the odds of this species' survival.
“We now have 17 spiny hill turtles in our collection,” Mr. Hughes said. “There are eight adults and nine juveniles. The adults are part of the Tennessee Aquarium’s Asian Turtle Breeding Program.”
Spiny hill turtles, also known as spiny terrapins, spiny turtles or sunburst turtles, are endangered in their native range which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
While this new baby turtle will remain in a backup area until the sex can be determined, visitors can see two spiny hill turtle hatchlings from last season in the Aquarium’s Turtle Gallery on level two of the River Journey building.
Visit the Tennessee Aquarium to see one of the world's largest living collections of turtle species. You'll be amazed by the beauty of these creatures.