Alabama’s Birmingham Zoo welcomes 3 baby ‘dragons’

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama’s Birmingham Zoo has welcomed three new additions to its family.

>> Read more trending news

According to WBMA-TV, staff took to social media on Wednesday to announce that three baby Philippine sailfin dragons – named Tony, Ezekiel and Nat – recently hatched at the zoo.

“After three years and numerous attempts at incubating eggs, our female Philippine sailfin dragon, Naga, managed to hide eggs from us too well! Oviparous (egg-laying) reptiles bury their eggs to allow them to finish development,” the zoo wrote of the rare lizards.

“In true Mama-knows-best fashion, Naga buried three eggs almost a foot deep! The eggs were later found during a weekly egg check. What happened next was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, as one of the eggs hatched in the hands of Andy S., a 10-year animal care professional in reptiles! ‘Welcome to the world Tony,’ Andy said. This tiny creature was fully developed and ready to go!”

The other eggs, which zoo staffers moved into an incubator, later “hatched as tiny, perfect lizards,” the post continued.

Although they’ll never be as massive as the dragons from fantasy stories, the newborns, which weigh about half an ounce, eventually will grow to more than 3 feet long and weigh 3 pounds, the zoo said.

Read more here or here.

Cox Media Group