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Male tortoise called 'Mary'
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-20 10:00

Zookeepers in Cleveland are the ones feeling slow because after more than 50 years, they've discovered a tortoise they call "Mary" is actually male.

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Officials at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo say it can be tough to establish the sex of a giant Aldabra tortoise because the reproductive organs normally aren't visible. But Mary's maleness was unexpectedly revealed earlier this month during a routine exam.

When the 180-kg tortoise arrived at the zoo in 1955, it was assumed he was a she because of a flatter shell, shorter tail and all-around smaller size than most males.

Zoo Director Steve Taylor is considering whether the senior citizen deserves a new name.