Talk about a slow mover: Billy the tortoise, aged 110, finally mates with lover who spurned his advances for 15 years

We all know that slow and steady wins the race. And for one tortoise that strategy has also won him a mate ... after 15 years of trying.



At 110, Billy has proved he's still got what it takes after becoming a father with his younger 'wife', Tammy, 47.



Tammy had spurned Billy's advances on many occasions, despite him diligently following her around the garden.



Expecting at last: At 110, Billy is to become the world's oldest father. Here he is watching his eggs which are being kept warm in an airing cupboard

He's finally come out of his shell: Billy the spur thigh tortoise now has seven eggs to tend



But the happy couple now have a brood of seven eggs to watch over.



Owner Peter Crane, 50, found the eggs buried in his garden in King's Lynn, Norfolk, last week after spotting Tammy crawling into a flower bed.



Mr Crane got Tammy, who is almost twice the size of her fellow spur thigh tortoise Billy, when he was just three years old.



He was given Billy by an 80-year-old relative 15 years ago. The tortoise has been cared for by the family since he was born in 1899.



Playing hard to get: It took Billy (front) 15 years to win over fellow tortoise Tammy. Their baby tortoises are due to hatch in eight to 12 weeks

'I didn't realise he had it in him but apparently the older they get the more fertile they become and he's obviously raring to go,' said Mr Crane.



'Billy chases Tammy around the garden and they headbutt each other as a mating ritual. Tammy even has a dent in the back of her shell



'They may finally have found love after all these years,' he said.



'She's been a difficult one to crack but it shows persistence pays off when you're chasing a woman.'



The eggs are due to hatch in eight to 12 weeks. Mr Crane plans to keep two and give the rest to his grandchildren and a local school.





