After years of waiting, rare turtles have bred 41 hatchlings at the San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo has bred a turtle species for the first time.

The staff at the zoo welcomed 41 hatchlings from the Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle species. The zoo is the first one in North America to hatch and raise the species.

The turtles have been at the zoo for a long time. The zoo staff had been hoping for a long time that they would be able to produce offspring.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance made a discovery on Monday.

Kim Gray, Curator of Herpetology and Ichthyology at the San Diego Zoo said, "This is a thrilling moment for us at the San Diego Zoo, and an incredible step forward in the preservation of this species."

Eggs were found in two different places. The optimal conditions for survival were created when most of the eggs were stored in an artificial incubator. Turtle experts at the zoo say it's hard to find a turtle's nest in the enclosure as the turtles like to lay their eggs overnight.

The Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle, also known as the small-headed softshell turtle, is native to northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. According to the Wildlife Institute of India, the turtles breed during the monsoon months in central India.

hatchlings can be as little as 4 centimeters when they emerge from their shell. They can grow up to 3.6 feet from the front to the back.

It's not known how many of the species remain in the wild. Environmental pollution, sandbar habitat destruction, the international pet trade and human food harvesting have all contributed to the species' decline.

The zoo has been caring for these turtles for a long time and part of that care is to gain a better understanding of the species' natural history. We can better assist our partners in India to help this essential species thrive in their native habitat with the knowledge we gained here at the Zoo.