Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard species, but these enormous creatures, which can grow to be 10 feet long and weigh over 300 pounds, we’re recently reclassified from vulnerable to endangered on the IUCN Red List. Fortunately, the San Antonio Zoo has launched a successful breeding program to save the species from extinction and recently celebrated the birth of 10 baby Komodo dragons at the facility.
Komodo dragons are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change because their natural habitat, a few Indonesian Islands, is becoming more fragmented and threatened by sea level rise. Currently, there are less than 1,400 adult Komodo dragons in the wild and in captivity.
The new San Antonio offspring are the result of breeding between Kristika, a resident female dragon, and Boga, a male from the Houston Zoo. The first of the 10 babies hatched in October of this year, after being laid in March. As solitary creatures, it is difficult to manage breeding initiatives for these lizards, but according to the zoo, this is the first of three planned hatchings taking place in the near future.
When they mature, these 10 hatchlings will be sent to other zoos around the US to act as ambassadors for their species. In the worst case scenario, future hatchlings could be released in natural habitats where populations have died out.
