TORONTO STAR (Ontario) 02 October 03 Zoo welcomes second, rare baby dragon; Pair are first Komodo dragons born in Canada (Jennifer McGregor and Christian Cotroneo)
There's a new flesh-eating dragon in town.
A Komodo dragon named Satu, which means "one" in Indonesia, made its public debut at the Toronto Zoo yesterday.
The rare reptile was the first Komodo dragon to be hatched in Canada. Zoo officials have not yet determined its sex.
Satu's parents, Doni, 16, and Draca, 14, are considered lizard thoroughbreds whose genetic makeup doesn't appear anywhere in the captive population. As such, they are considered an elite and rare pairing.
"We're just beyond thrilled to have this happen. It's just amazing," said zoo spokesperson Cynthia Shipley.
Satu is set to beguile visitors at an upcoming exhibit at the Australasian Pavilion.
For now the curious can visit Satu's father Doni, who's on loan to the zoo for breeding purposes, in the existing Komodo dragon display.
Although American zoos have managed to hatch 95 of the lizards, Satu's birth was a first in Canada. The yellow and green lizard spent 240 days in an incubator before emerging from its shell in all its 47-centimetre glory. Naturally, that's subject to change. Komodo dragons can reach more than three metres in length.
Another tiny bundle of scales awaited its turn in the spotlight.
On Tuesday night, a second baby Komodo was hatched at the zoo to a 14-year old dragon named Loca. But the latest hatchling, like Satu, will take weeks before it's ready for public view.
Considered an endangered species, there are just 5,000 Komodo dragons worldwide. They are found in the wild only on four tiny Indonesian islands.
It is diurnal, most active during the day. The Komodo dragon is fast; it can run 18 km/h or more and is also a good tree climber and swimmer.
The Komodo dragon is the world's biggest lizard and a fierce predator. After it bites its prey, the victim will sicken and die from blood poisoning within a day or two. The Komodo will then find the body and eat it. The dragons have been known to kill people.
Running speed: Fast, upward of 18 km/h
Other athletic pursuits: Swimming, tree climbing
Trick: Rarely needs to drink, gets 85 per cent of its liquid from prey
Home: Komodo Island and three other islands in the Indonesian archipelago
Movies: At least one- Komodo, a 1999 straight-to-video monster movie Trees: Where baby dragons spend much of their first year because adult dragons could eat them
Prey: 10 per cent of diet is other dragons; other prey include water buffalo, a creature nine times its size
Leftovers: None; dragons consume all parts of their prey, including bones, fur and hooves
Tongue: 23 cm long and nasty looking
Teeth: 60, also nasty looking
Hearing: Limited, insensitive to high-pitched screams
Breath: Bad, thanks to virulent bacteria in its mouth and leftover bits of meat in its teeth Even if the dragon's prey survives the original attack, it usually dies of infection later
Just 5,000 worldwide, Komodo dragons are endangered species
Source: Toronto Zoo, PBS , American Museum of Natural History. Compiled by Star library.
NATIONAL POST (Toronto, Ontario) 02 October 03 Two rare dragons born at zoo (Lisa Urbach)
Staff at the Toronto Zoo are celebrating the birth of the first two Komodo dragons hatched in Canada.
The second Komodo was born Tuesday night, just hours before zoo officials were to show local media the first of the dangerous lizards, which was born on Aug. 27.
"We have a bright-looking lizard who is scrambling about," said Bob Johnson, the Toronto Zoo's curator of amphibians, reptiles and dragons. "It's a good sign because it shows he has some strength."
The dragons' gender will not determined until six or seven years of age, through a blood test. The newborn Komodo will be removed from its incubator today and examined, weighed and measured.
The two hatchlings are a boost for the endangered flesh-eating lizards. Fewer than 5,000 remain in their native Indonesia.
The young Komodo's mothers, Draca and Loka, have been in captivity at the Toronto Zoo for six years. Their father, Doni, was brought from Minnesota last year to breed with them.
"At first, we didn't know what would happen," Mr. Johnson said of the courtship. "We worried Draca and Loka would gang up on him and fight. But he was friendly and amorous."
Komodo males in the wild usually find females ovulating once a year. Females in captivity can ovulate twice, if they have enough energy. The zoo's females had a surplus of energy and a second clutch of eggs are expected to hatch in two to three months, which could add a half dozen more lizards to the total.
Zoo officials expect the young Komodos to be on display at the Australasia Pavilion by the end of the month.
