Tiny Turtles Hatch at Brookfield, Lincoln Park Zoos

Photos via the Chicago Zoological Society.

Several itty-bitty turtles broke free from their egg shells this week at the Brookfield Zoo and the Lincoln Park Zoo.

This batch of eggs, known as a clutch, is the last of 26 ornate box turtles provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in an effort to restore native ornate box turtle populations in Western Illinois, according to the Chicago Zoological Society, which operates Brookfield Zoo.

“Each year we learn more about ornate box turtles and their preferred temperature for incubation and what conditions best enable them to grow before returning to their native habitat,” said Diane Mulkerin, curator for Lincoln Park Zoo, in a statement. “The collaboration among conservation organizations enables us to take the head-start program one step further by increasing the number of turtles we re-introduce each year.”

Ornate box turtles are considered “threatened” on the Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Species, said Andy Snider, curator of herps and aquatics for the Chicago Zoological Society, in a statement.

The tiny turtles will stay at the zoos for several months where they can avoid threats from predators and diseases. When they grow up and get stronger, they will be reintroduced to protected sand prairies in Savannah, Illinois.

For more information on Lincoln Park Zoo visit lpzoo.org and for more information on CZS/Brookfield Zoo visit czs.org.