CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Tennessee Aquarium has some very small new arrivals with a very big purpose.
Since mid-May, seven baby turtles representing five different species have hatched behind the scenes, including several that are endangered or critically endangered in the wild.
The newest additions include three critically endangered Four-eyed Turtles, an endangered Beal’s Four-eyed Turtle, an endangered Spotted Turtle, an endangered Ringed Map Turtle and a Hilaire’s Side-necked Turtle.
Aquarium officials say even more hatchlings could arrive soon.
n the Turtle Nursery at the Tennessee Aquarium, guests can see species from all over the world, including many that hatched in the River Journey building. Since 1992, the Aquarium has hatched more than 1,100 turtles representing more than 50 species. Photo via the Tennessee Aquarium.
Eggs from Ringed Map Turtles, Central American Wood Turtles and Yellow-blotched Map Turtles are currently developing in incubators.
While seven hatchlings might sound like a busy spring, longtime Herpetology Collection Coordinator Bill Hughes calls it a relatively slow year.
“This is the time of year when we get most of our turtle hatchings,” Hughes said. “But we didn’t really want to hatch a lot this year, so three Four-eyed Turtles is actually a good number.”
Hughes has spent more than three decades breeding and caring for turtles and has helped make the Chattanooga aquarium a global leader in turtle conservation.
In 2007, he hatched the first Four-eyed Turtle ever born in human care.
Since then, the Aquarium has added 72 Four-eyed Turtles to the conservation population, with many eventually moving to accredited zoos across the country.
A baby Ringed Map Turtle at the Tennessee Aquarium. This endangered North American hatchling is the first of its species to hatch at the Aquarium since 1998. Photo via the Tennessee Aquarium.
Since opening in 1992, the Tennessee Aquarium has successfully hatched 1,166 turtles representing 56 species and subspecies.
Some species require carefully recreating seasonal changes found in the wild before they’ll hatch.
For Hilaire’s Side-necked Turtles, Hughes gradually changes temperature and humidity over time before lightly spraying the eggs to imitate the arrival of seasonal rains.
“One signal makes them develop; another signal makes them go, ‘Hey, it’s time to hatch,’” Hughes said.
The Tennessee Aquarium says every hatchling plays an important role, not only in helping safeguard species from extinction but also in introducing visitors to turtles they may have never known existed.
“Once you see the baby, maybe you care more about the adult,” Hughes said.
Many of the hatchlings can eventually be seen in the Aquarium’s working Turtle Nursery inside the River Journey building.