Birth Of 4 Tiny Turtles At National Aquarium Makes Big History

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—They may not be ninjas, but turtles born in captivity at the National Aquarium are still pretty rare.

Alex DeMetrick reports the births may even be a first.

They aren't shy about being seen, even if they aren't seen that often.

Amazon big head turtles live mostly invisible lives in black water.

And according to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, very few aquariums have them on exhibit. And maybe none have had babies born in captivity until now.

"They actually are pretty difficult to breed," said CJ Weaver, National Aquarium in Baltimore. "We actually had to carefully monitor their incubation and their nesting site," which turned up by surprise just above the tank's waterline.

The eggs were found in May. The four babies hatched in September.

They're being raised out of the exhibit because they could end up as their parent's dinner.

These are tough turtles.

"They're very aggressive turtles. Pretty angry. They do not like being picked-up or messed with," Weaver said.

Even when little.

Those beaks can break skin now.

An adult that feeds on things like nuts that fall into the water.

"They're very, very powerful. So if they can crush a large brazil nut, they could probably break through a bone," Weaver said.

Because displays of these turtles are so rare, the aquarium expects demand for the four baby turtles.

"We would like to see that. This is a cool animal, a prehistoric looking turtle. I think they really should be on display more often," Weaver said.

It could even lead to more turtles.

Because they are so young and small, the aquarium is not certain yet when the baby turtles might go on exhibit.

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