‘Liberty', ‘Aunt Viv'? Philly Zoo asks for your help naming tortoise hatchlings

It took nearly 100 years for a duo of endangered Philadelphia Zoo tortoises to become parents -- the time to name those hatchlings will be much, much shorter.

On April 23, 2025, the historic zoo showed off the four Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises of the aptly-named Mommy and daddy Abrazzo hatched at the zoo earlier this year. They four reptiles made their debut around noon at the Reptile and Amphibian House.

The day was a perfect one since it marked 93 years since Mommy arrived at the Philly Zoo.

The hatchlings are already oozing slow, confident coolness, but they don't have names yet. The zoo is looking to quickly change that.

What goes into a tortoise's name?

Zoo staff narrowed down potential names for the hatchlings to four separate "Golden" categories: Celebrity Philadelphia, Fresh Prince, Golden Girls and Prominent female herpetologists.

Here's the finalists, according to the Zoo:

• Prominent female herpetologists: Mary, Joan, Grace and Hellen (named after Mary Cynthia Dickerson, Joan Beauchamp Proctor, Grace Olive Wiley, Helen Thompson Gaige)
• Celebrating Philadelphia: Liberty, Independence (Indy), Betsy and Belle
• For these future Golden Girls: Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia
• “In West Philadelphia born and raised...” for Fresh Prince of Bel Air: Aunt Viv, Willie, Jazz and Avery

How can you vote to name the Philadelphia Zoo's tortoise hatchlings?

The voting has opened up a form that lets the public decide which set of names match best. That's right, the names won't come from different categories, but rather one theme like Golden Girls of Philly.

(Sorry, but that means no combo names like Avery Grace, Mary Rose of Sophia Jazz would work.)

People have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 27, 2025, to vote. The zoo says it will announce the winning names on social media on Monday, April 28, 2025.

It's 'Never Too Late' to show your support for the newbies

The zoo is looking to help its animal care fund through tortoise-themed T-shirt sales.

"The Zoo has designed t-shirts to support their care," the zoo's website says. "The three designs are based off of photos taken of the baby tortoises and Mommy."

The slogans include "Live Long and Grow a Thick Shell," "Never Too Late," "Saving Species Since 1859." Here's how to buy one the shirts in adult or kid sizes.

Hatching of rare tortoises part of Species Survival Plan

The tortoise parents -- the zoo's oldest residents, each estimated to be around a century old -- had never hatched eggs before, the zoo said.

“This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news with our city, region, and the world,” Philadelphia Zoo President & CEO Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman said earlier this month.

Mommy is also considered to be "one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP)," the zoo said.

The survival plan the zoo referenced is a framework to ensure the tortoise species does not become extinct.

"Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with threats including human-wildlife conflict, the introduction of invasive species, and habitat loss," the zoo said. "The last clutch of Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises to hatch in an AZA accredited zoo was in 2019."

"Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now," Mogerman said.