The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society
NYTTS Member Matt Hybel Hatches 47 Asian Brown Tortoises!
Matt Hybel describes himself as “proudly ecstatic” (and deservedly so) after recovering 47 Asian brown tortoise hatchlings from his back yard on August 21. Matt’s large female, “Emily” (pictured right at the June 4 Turtle & Tortoise Show), had apparently laid 50 eggs in a mound in the spring. Unaware Emily had nested, Matt was alerted by a single hatchling that had left the mound and made its way along the garden fence 100 feet toward his house. He traced the hatchling’s route back to the mound, where he found the remaining babies, some still trying to break out of their leathery shells. A hatching success of 47 out of 50 may well be a record for this species. Matt has had Emily for seven years and introduced her to a male a year ago.
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