NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) - A new exhibit opening this week at Newport Aquarium will include more than 14 species of turtles from three continents.
The turtles range from the largest tortoise species in the world, the Galapagos tortoise, to the smallest in the Northern Hemisphere, the Egyptian tortoise. Among the turtles on display will be an 84-year-old Galapagos tortoise named Bravo, who weighs more than 600 pounds.
“Back in 1929, he was one of the last remaining Galapagos tortoises that was removed from the island of Santa Cruz, and he was brought to the United States to be kept in zoos and aquariums,” Ric Urban, the aquarium’s animal ambassador, told The Kentucky Enquirer (https://cin.ci/1eWkU83).
A turtle corral will offer a chance to touch some of the turtles, including the Gopher tortoise, one of North America’s largest tortoise species.
“It’s going to be a really nice exhibit for all of the guests to come down, visit and create memories with their families,” he said.
Even more than that, though, he hopes the visit will inspire others to do more to preserve turtle habitat.
“There are over 200 species of turtles around the world, and they’ve been around for 200 million years,” he said. “However, there are some that are vanishing, even … our Eastern box turtle. What we need to do is spearhead green spaces and habitat preservation in our backyard.”
The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday and is expected to remain open through next winter.
For more information, visit https://www.newportaquarium.com .
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