We're proud to announce our first-ever successful hatching of two Komodo dragons. The new arrivals were born on September 20 and September 23 and weigh about the same as a stick of butter, coming in at ~100 grams. The hatchlings are healthy and are being raised behind the scenes in the Zoo’s Komodo Dragon facility.
About Komodos
Komodo dragons are known for being the largest and heaviest lizard on earth, reaching up to 10 feet in length and weighing more than 300 pounds. They are dominant predators with powerful jaws and a toxic bite. In the wild, they ambush deer, goats, pigs, and have even been known to take down horses and water buffalo. Komodo dragons have adapted to reproduce both sexually and through parthenogenesis due to their isolated habitats and aggressive behavior when threatened. Parthenogenesis occurs when an egg is fertilized by another egg instead of sperm. Females can lay on average 24 eggs in a clutch.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has about 140 Komodo dragons in its collection with the Nashville Zoo housing one adult male, two adult females, two juvenile males, and now two hatchlings. Uniquely, the father represents new genetics to the North American population and was imported from the Prague Zoo to diversify the AZA population. The Zoo has housed Komodo dragons since 2014, and after 10 years can now share the success of ushering two new Komodo dragons into the world.
“When I caught a first glimpse of that little hatchling, I was so excited my hands were shaking,” exclaimed Cayton Curtis and James Flaherty, Nashville Zoo Herpetology Keepers responsible for the care and breeding of this species. “At Nashville Zoo we work hard to ensure we are protecting endangered species and helping their numbers grow. We are proud to contribute to the increase in genetically diverse Komodo Dragon populations with the two new hatchlings.”
Komodo Dragon Conservation
Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are only native to the tropical Lesser Sunda Indonesian Islands and are considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. As part of Nashville Zoo’s conservation efforts, the Zoo participates in the Komodo Dragon Species Survival Plan® to help ensure genetically diverse dragon populations in human care. We help protect this species in their native habitat by partnering with Komodo Survival Program, an organization dedicated to Komodo dragon educational initiatives and hands-on conservation work with wild populations.
We support the Komodo Survival Program through monetary donations. Recently, the Zoo’s Assistant Curator of Ectotherm, Nick Hanna, traveled to Komodo National Park to help with hands-on Komodo dragon conservation work. With Hanna’s help and the Zoo’s donations, the KSP was able to purchase a new boat to transport researchers and supplies to the islands where Komodo dragon population monitoring occurs. Before the boat, the transport to the islands would take around three to four hours, and, with the boat, the time has been cut down to an hour. Along with the boat purchase, Nashville Zoo’s funding was used to purchase carriers to move traps between monitoring locations. These carriers make it easier to move the traps and allow the team to move them more efficiently.
Collaborations between Zoos and non-profits allow organizations, like KSP, to achieve their mission and make a broader impact in the realm of conservation. For more information on our conservation efforts, visit www.nashvillezoo.org/conservation.
Boat funded by Nashville Zoo | Close-up of the boat's logos