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Mr. Pickles, the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo, is a father — again!
The 90-year-old tortoise now has three little radiated tortoises to look after, the zoo announced in a news release. And yes, their names are just as cute as Mr. Pickles: Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño! The baby tortoises, in fact, came as a surprise to zoo staff when they realized Mrs. Pickles was laying eggs.
Mr. Pickles has lived at the Houston Zoo for 36 years and has been with his companion Mrs. Pickles for about 26 of those years. Before Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño, they had "one little pickle" who was born in 1997.
The three baby tortoises will "remain behind the scenes until they are big enough to join their parents."