CLEVELAND, Ohio — Mary the giant tortoise came out of her shell in a very

unladylike way last week at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. There's a reason, though:

She's a he.

After more than a half-century at the zoo, the 400-pound tortoise showed

veterinarians something extra during a routine physical exam. The find left the

medical staff a little shell-shocked. Nobody ever viewed Mary as a male, zoo

Director Steve Taylor said. (It's often difficult to determine the sex of an

Aldabra tortoise because its reproductive organs usually aren't visible.)

The zoo long ago labeled Mary with an incorrect gender because of feminine

characteristics: a smaller size, a flatter lower shell and shorter tail. Mary

also looked nothing like Tom and Tim, the other boys in the zoo's tortoise

enclosure.

Basically, dude looks like a lady . . . but there's absolutely no doubt now that

Mary's a Gary.

"We never had eggs," Taylor said. "Now we know why."

Mary, Tom and Tim arrived in Cleveland in 1955 after being claimed by zoo

representatives on a safari to their native island habitat off the east coast of

Africa. They're the oldest animals at the zoo, estimated to be between 75 and 100

years old. Aldabra tortoises can live well beyond 100 and are among the largest

reptiles on the planet.

The trio summer near the zoo's Primate, Cat and Aquatic Building but spend the

colder months off exhibit in warmer quarters. They'll be back in their outdoor

exhibit in May or June.

Expect one to arrive with a new name.

Source of the materials:cleveland