WATCH: Two endangered Komodo dragons hatch at Chester Zoo
Reptile conservationists at Chester Zoo are celebrating the arrival of two baby Komodo dragons – the largest living lizard on the planet.
The hatchlings arrived weighing around 74g and measuring just 40cm in length after being carefully incubated for six months. They will grow to be more than three metres long and weigh up to 90kg.
It’s the first time the zoo has successfully bred hatchlings from a pair of mating dragons and conservationists say the hatchlings will join a vitally important international conservation breeding programme.
Matt Cook, lead keeper of reptiles at the zoo, said: “Komodo dragons are fascinating creatures that have survived on this planet for tens of thousands of years, but despite their incredible resilience, populations in the wild have been pushed to the edge of existence in the last 50 years alone due to increased human activity, habitat loss and a rapidly changing climate.
“We have been eagerly awaiting this moment after we successfully introduced female dragon Mezcal with male Satali and they seemed to hit it off straight away.
"A month later we found a clutch of eggs that had been laid and we carefully placed them in a special incubator where they have been monitored closely for several months.
"Given the current plight of dragons, we couldn’t take any chances.
"The two youngsters are now thriving and will join a vitally important conservation breeding programme, spanning the globe, as zoos like ours work to preserve this true icon of the natural world and ensure their survival for generations to come.
“As we work with global partners to secure a better future for the Komodo dragon, everything we have learned from this meticulous process will be shared to improve our overall knowledge and understanding of the world’s largest living lizard."
The Komodo dragon is the largest of the world’s 7,555 lizard species, with ancestors that date back more than 100 million years.
The giant reptiles are found on just a handful of small isolated islands in Indonesia, including Komodo and Flores, where experts say just 3,000 now remain.
Habitat loss, agricultural expansion and rising global temperatures have caused major decline in Komodo dragon populations – with their habitat expected to reduce by a further 30 per cent in the next 45 years.
