San Diego tortoises get new digs

There is much to be said about the high cost of California real estate, but you won't hear much complaining from the Galapagos tortoises in San Diego who just moved into new $1 million digs at the zoo. To show off their new enclosure, the tortoises and the San Diego Zoo are hosting four days of REPTILEMANIA, a hands on experience with the cold and slithery, starting today and ending Sunday. The Los Angeles Times has a great write up on the Zoo's tortoises on their web site today, with a lot of cool background material on the individual tortoises, their backgrounds, history, and personality traits.

Abbot (No. 25) is known for a stubborn streak, sometimes refusing to move even for a carrot or other leafy vegetable. The same is true with Madeline (No. 5), although she will sometimes fall in line when she sees other females being cooperative. Chips (No. 9) seems the most playful and Emerson (No. 30) the most aggressive. Winston (No. 2B) sometimes blocks the door to the tortoise "bedroom" until he gets fed. As for connubial activity, Gramma (No. 4), thought to be between 120 and 130 years old, is the most accommodating of the females. Augustus (No. 7) is considered the most lusty of the males, but given the right mood and setting, all the males will seek out a female or two.<

It would be fair to say that these tortoises have welcomed millions of visitors to the zoo over the years. I've met the zoo's tortoises three times myself, but would love to get the opportunity to check them out again.