On January 22, 2010, Lima, the Zoo’s female Komodo dragon, laid 23 healthy eggs.  These eggs were excavated and moved to an incubator at the Zoo’s behind-the-scenes reptile facility.  The eggs are developing on schedule. 

“Not only is it rare to have such a large clutch, but less than 10 zoos in North America have been able to breed Komodos,” said Recchio.  “Everything has to go absolutely perfect and then you need good luck on top of that.”  This marks the L.A. Zoo’s first success at breeding Komodos. 

Komodo eggs have soft, smooth leathery shells and are about four inches in length.  Incubation takes eight to nine months, which puts the expected hatch date for these eggs at sometime this fall – late August through October. 

Hatchlings are 14 to 20 inches long and weigh about three to four ounces.  Komodos can grow to approximately nine or ten feet, weighing 200 pounds or more.  Because Komodos are cannibalistic, readily eating the young and eggs of their own species, hatchlings are on their own from the start.  In the wild, just after hatching the young scurry up nearby trees to avoid being eaten by the adults.  They remain in the trees, feeding on insects and small lizards, until they are too heavy to forage successfully up above. 

Native to only a few islands in Indonesia, this dragon has the smallest range of any of the world’s large carnivores.  The Komodo dragon is the major predator found on the islands and uses its excellent sense of smell to find prey.  An opportunistic scavenger and predator, Komodos feed on snakes, lizards, eggs, carrion, and large mammals such as deer, wild pigs, horses and water buffalo. 

Contrary to popular belief, Komodos don’t produce toxic saliva.  Their saliva picks up pathogenic bacteria (most commonly E. coli.) through their scavenging habits and re-infestation from carrion.  They are rarely affected by these pathogens themselves because chemicals and proteins in their blood acts as natural antibiotics.  Komodos in zoos are fed cleaner food, which virtually eliminates these infectious pathogens. 

Click here to read the Komodo dragon fact sheet!

Check for Komodo dragon updates on the Zoo’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/losangeleszoo.