A Legendary Name for a Rare New Zealand First

Auckland Zoo’s adorable Galapagos tortoise hatchling needs a name! Will it be Pinta or Marle, after two of the Galapagos Islands these extraordinary creatures can be found at? Or will it be Tiny, a name that will become delightfully ironic in years to come, as it grows between 2500 and 4000 times its current body weight.

Our unisex name choices might sound like an on-trend selection, but they also serve another purpose. Like other tortoises, it is hard to determine the gender of a young Galapagos hatchling, as the giveaway signs come as their bodies grow and mature. Typically, a male will have a much longer tail than a female, and the plastron (underbelly side of the shell) will be flatter in a female. 

Our young hatchling is now close to six weeks old and is ready for a name. To vote, please visit Auckland Zoo’s Facebook or Instagram page and type your vote in the comment section of the latest Galapagos tortoise post. Galapagos tortoises can live for up to 200 years, so choose wisely!

For true fans, naming New Zealand’s first Galapagos hatchling may not quite quench your thirst for a personal, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Be one of the first people to meet our baby tortoise by bidding on our trademe auction, this hatchling is still off-display while our keepers give it the specific care newborns need.

You will also meet one of our senior ectotherm team who will introduce you to this special tortoise, give you some background on the species, its conservation, and explain what was involved in ‘making’ this New Zealand first a possibility. As part of the experience you will also get to meet this yet-to-be-named baby’s blissfully unaware parents, mum Chippie and dad Smiley, see them take a mud bath and feed them their favourite foods.

All proceeds from this auction will go towards the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, set up to help vulnerable wildlife both in New Zealand and overseas. To date, the fund has raised over $2,000,000 to support a wide variety of conservation projects aligned with the work of Auckland Zoo. As a non-for-profit organisation, every little bit helps to ensure the survival of rare and endangered species like the Galapagos Tortoise.