Green Options

The last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle laid 188 eggs this year, but none of them will be hatching.

A disappointment for turtle conservationists: The world’s only known pair of critically endangered Yangtze giant soft-shell turtles (Rafetus swinhoei) have failed to reproduce for the second consecutive year. 81-year-old “China Doll” is the last known female of the species and her 101-year-old partner is one of possibly three known males.

The Yangtze Soft-Shell Turtle, or Swinhoe’s Turtle, is the rarest animal in the world. The survival of the species hangs entirely on the tender shell of its only known living female, which is set to mate this May.

Scientists are hoping that Spring fever is still in the air for the 80-year-old turtle and her 100-year-old male companion, who together make up the last two captive specimens on the planet. The geriatric couple was united last year in an attempt to breed the pair, but none of the fertilized eggs were able to hatch, most likely due to a calcium deficiency in her diet.

If the elderly turtles don’t have a successful mating this year, it may spell the end of a species.