Honolulu Zoo celebrates hatching of 5 baby crocodile monitor lizards
City officials announced that five crocodile monitor lizard babies have hatched at Honolulu Zoo to parents Jimmy and Gurl.
The lizard babies hatched between Feb. 21 and 22 at the zoo. All five are healthy and on display in the Keiki Barn nursery.
“I am extremely pleased with the successful hatching of five new crocodile monitors,” said Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos in a news release. “I would like to especially thank our reptile staff for their successful breeding and rearing efforts, as it has been proven to be a difficult accomplishment with this lizard species in a captive environment.”
Honolulu Zoo said it is one among three other zoos in the world to have successfully hatched baby crocodile monitor lizards since 1990.
Counting the five new babies, the Honolulu Zoo now has seven crocodile monitors and has successfully hatched 19 others since 1999. The gestation period is generally six to eight months.
Crocodile monitors (varanus salvadorii) are an island species endemic to New Guinea’s coastal rainforests and mangrove swamps, and one of the longest lizards in the world, growing up to approximately 10-feet in length. They can be difficult to propagate in captivity, Honolulu Zoo said.
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There are approximately 75 crocodile monitors in 28 institutions worldwide. They are currently categorized on the IUCN Red List as of “least concern,” but were last assessed in 2014.
The baby crocodile monitors at the zoo developed a familiarity and bond with their keepers, according to Honolulu Zoo, and the newborns were successfully hand-fed on March 1.