Baby Egyptian (Ninja) Tortoises Hatch at Woodland Park Zoo

If you needed a pick-me-up on this dreary Friday, the Woodland Park Zoo has it: baby turtles (okay, tortoises)! They may not be teens yet, nor mutants, but they are certainly cuteness ninjas, throwing slow but effective death stars of adorability right at your heart. All this ninja action and they still fit in the palm of your hand!

These baby Egyptian Tortoises are part of the Woodland Park Zoo's campaign to help revive this species. Already extinct in Egypt and extremely endangered in the wild, the tortoises have been affected by habitat destruction and the illegal pet trade. The zoo's conservation campaigns educate and empower local populations to protect wildlife habitat and address illegal wildlife collection.

The tortoises hatched about two weeks ago and are apparently still behind the scenes at the zoo, but these videos and pictures hopefully help you get your baby animal fix. And for those who didn't know the turtle-tortoise-terrapin difference: turtles like water; tortoises, land; terrapins, both.