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Headline: Rare Baby Tortoise No Bigger Than A 50p Coin Is Born At Swansea Zoo

Caption: An unexpected bundle of joy has arrived for the team at Plantasia Zoo in Swansea, Wales with the discovery of a new addition to their Egyptian Tortoise family. Egyptian Tortoises are listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Originally, these tortoises could be found in both Libya and Egypt, however, destruction of the Egyptian tortoise’s natural habitat, particularly in Egypt where it is now listed as extinct in the country, has become a major contributing factor to its overall extinction. Plantasia’s Zoo and Education Manager, Michael Colwill, explained “The tortoises can retain fertilised eggs for up to four years.” The males and females are totally separated from each other at the zoo, therefore, mating must have taken place before the tortoises arrived at the zoo for conservation. Michael went on to explain he “suspects the egg was buried without knowing, so this new addition was completely unexpected.” The adorable surprise baby tortoise is not much bigger than the size of a 50p coin and is totally independent from the moment it was born. The baby tortoise currently doesn't have a name, and it’s not yet known if it is a boy or a girl, so Plantasia have a competition on Facebook for the public to enter to give the tortoise a name for life.

Keywords: rare baby tortoise,tiny,miniature,Plantasia Zoo,Egyptian Tortoise,animal,birth,newborn

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