The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium announced today that eight beaded lizards have hatched at the Reptile House, adding to the Zoo Babies.
“This is the first successful beaded lizard hatching at the Zoo since 2000!” said the Zoo on their Facebook page. Beaded lizards can be found in “rocky regions of Central and western Mexico, as well as down to northern Central America.” Habitat loss and poaching are decreasing their numbers, and the Zoo has been breeding the species according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
Saul Bauer, Shores Keeper at the Zoo, shared in a Zoo video that some of the lizards have hatched out in just 24-hours, while others are “are taking their time and can take up to a week to fully emerge from the egg.”
The newly hatched lizards will not be available for viewing until the Spring to allow them time to relax from the stress of hatching and be healthy and calm. They will be housed in the Reptile House.
Photos by Grahm Jones for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
For more information, visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium at 4850 Powell Rd
Powell, Ohio 43065 or Columbuszoo.org.