Season 2, Episode #17: It’s Shell Time, Baby!

Since opening its doors in 1992, the Aquarium has shone a bright spotlight on the world’s 300+ species of turtles. In the decades since, our experts have had much success hatching and raising new generations of turtles, including some critically endangered species on the brink of extinction in the wild.

In this episode, two of our lead herpetology experts talk about what it takes to raise these baby chelonians, from what they eat to how they wrestle their way out of their eggs (occasionally with a little bit of help). We’ll also dive deep into what you can see in our working turtle nursery, which is undoubtedly the focal point of our Turtles of the World gallery.

Watch a video highlighting a recent success story with hatching a record-setting clutch of critically endangered Arakan Forest Turtles! https://youtu.be/xZxaV8gFIJ8?si=Sm968-bsMKWKXwFc

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist, host and baby turtle fan
• Bill Hughes, herpetology collections coordinator
• Charlie Olson, senior herpetologist

Upcoming Episodes

• Meet our Newest Conservation Experts
• Oceanic Oddballs
• 30 Years of Giant Screen Entertainment
• National Cave Week

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.