Photos: ZooTampa Hatches Six Endangered Komodo Dragons

This is good news! For the first time ever, ZooTampa at Lowry Park has hatched 6 baby Komodo dragons. There are an estimated 1,400 adult Komodo dragons left in the wild. So, this will surely help increase the numbers of the endangered species! According to a press release from ZooTampa "The six new dragons from mother Aanjay (age 13) and father Titus (age 12) started hatching Aug. 21, after a nine-month incubation." During the time of the incubation period, the herpetology and veterinary teams closely monitored the eggs, which were about the size of a goose egg.

The clutch of six hatchlings is made up of 3 females and 3 males, each weighing in around 100 grams and sitting at 10 inches long. The new baby Komodo dragons will be behind the scenes adapting and growing before meeting the public later this fall.

Komodo dragons are just 1 of 99 species that ZooTampa is working to save and protect. ZooTampa's conservation, rehabilitation, and sustainability efforts are the main reasons why we love them so much!  Associate curator of Herpetology at ZooTampa, Dan Costell, said "These first-time additions at the Zoo are a big win for conservation. Being a part of the Species Survival Plan program, ZooTampa has a shared commitment to ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied reptile population."

The baby dragons will need some time to adapt and grow before you can see them in their exhibit later this fall. They even do In the meantime, check out these cute scaly photos courtesy of ZooTampa.