The Nashville Zoo is celebrating the birth of two new Komodo dragons

The Year of the Dragon has brought two new Komodo dragons to the Nashville Zoo. Although the zoo has been home to Komodo dragons for over a decade, the birth marks the first successful hatching of this species at the zoo.

The dragons were born on September 20 and 23 and weigh 100 grams, about the same as a stick of butter, the zoo reported. The new arrivals are healthy, happy and are being raised behind the scenes in the zoo's Komodo dragon enclosure.

“When I first saw the little cub, I was so excited that my hands were shaking,” Cayton Curtis and James Flaherty, the Nashville Zoo’s herpetology keepers responsible for the care and breeding of the species, said in a news release. “At the Nashville Zoo, we work hard to ensure we protect endangered species and help their numbers grow.”

“We are proud to contribute to the growth of the genetically diverse Komodo dragon populations with the two new young animals.”

Komodo dragons are considered the largest and heaviest lizards on earth and can reach up to 10 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds. In the wild, the dominant predators can prey on deer, goats and pigs and have even been known to prey on horses and water buffalo.

They are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, the Nashville Zoo participates in the Komodo Dragon Species Survival Plan to help ensure genetically diverse dragon populations remain in human care. The zoo has also partnered with the Komodo Survival Program, an organization dedicated to Komodo dragon education initiatives and hands-on conservation work with wild populations.

Diana Leyva covers breaking news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Nashville Zoo announces the birth of two new Komodo dragons