![]() ![]() With the help of the Turtle Conservancy’s Behler Chelonian Center, we tested OMSD on a variety of turtle and tortoise eggs. Sperm absence, on the other hand, can point toward a reproductive problem.Īlthough the female giant softshell turtle has laid numerous eggs, none have been fertile. For example, an egg containing sperm indicates that the male is producing functional sperm capable of progressing up the female’s oviduct to the oocyte. This information, in combination with behavioral observations, reproductive history, and veterinary examination, can be used to make educated decisions about breeding pairs to increase the chance for future offspring. OMSD tests for the presence of sperm in eggs that fail to develop an embryo. My involvement in the Rafetus breeding program at the Suzhou Zoo began this past summer with the trip of a lifetime to help save the Yangtze giant softshell turtle from extinction.Īs part of my Master’s degree, I am working in the Reproductive Physiology Division at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, developing a technique for oocyte membrane-bound sperm detection (OMSD) for use in the management of endangered turtles and tortoises. Housed together at China’s Suzhou Zoo, the pair’s breeding success is crucial to the survival of their species.Īlthough the female has laid hundreds of eggs since 2008, none of her eggs have hatched and the lack of Rafetus hatchlings over the last several years has raised more questions than answers. With the last remaining breeding pair in captivity, the Yangtze giant softshell turtle Rafetus swinhoei is one of the world’s most critically endangered species. ![]()
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