Today from Bedtime Math: Giant Family for a Giant Tortoise

Living for 80 years sounds like a long time to us humans. But this 80-year-old Galapagos tortoise is only halfway through life. As our friends Tyler and Ally M. just shared with us, last week Nigrita the tortoise just had babies for the first time! She hatched 9 mini tortoises, having laid the eggs earlier this year. The babies are very special because Galapagos tortoises are endangered. Galapagos tortoises can live to 150 years old. It's the largest tortoise, as it can weigh more than 900 pounds! And while we're at it, what's the difference between a tortoise and a turtle? After all, they're both reptiles, so they both breathe air and lay eggs. Turtles, though, spend most of their time in the water, while tortoises live on dry land. In fact, tortoises are pretty bad swimmers. But since they live to 150 years old, they get the last laugh.

Wee ones: If you've counted 5 of the baby tortoises, what numbers do you say to count the next two babies?

Little kids: If you have 3 pet tortoises, 2 pet turtles and a pet snake, how many pet reptiles do you have? Bonus: If Nigrita hatches 9 babies this year, 6 babies next year, 10 the year after that, then 7 the year after that...what number would she hatch next to keep the pattern?

Big kids: How many scaly feet do those 9 baby tortoises have all together? Bonus: Who weighs more, 9 baby tortoises who've grown to 80 pounds each, or their 700-pound mom?

Answers:

Wee ones: 6 and 7.

Little kids: 6 pet reptiles. Bonus: 11 babies.

Big kids: 36 feet. Bonus: The 9 baby tortoises, since they weigh 720 pounds together.