Now that they’re identified as Burmese peacock turtles, more research can begin. Other turtle species’ eggs, even in the Nilssonia genus, hatch after just two or three months. The total number of Burmese peacock turtles is unknown, but scientists suspect that their population may have declined by at least 80 percent over the past 90 years. While adult turtles are mostly invulnerable to predators, very few turtles survive from the egg and hatchling stages to adulthood, Dr. Platt said. That makes these Burmese peacock turtle babies all the more precious.

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Persons: Zau Lunn, ”, Steven Platt, Platt, isn’t Organizations: Wildlife Conservation Society, International Union for Conservation