3 Rare Gray's Monitor Lizards Hatched At L.A. Zoo

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Zoo says it is now home to three rare baby Gray's monitor lizards that hatched last month.

Zoo officials said Monday they believe the births give their institution the distinction of being only the second facility in the Western Hemisphere to hatch a Gray's monitor lizard.

A single egg hatched at the Dallas Zoo in 1994 but the hatchling died soon afterward.

The lizards, thought to be extinct in the wild for more than 130 years, were rediscovered in 1975. They are only found in the wild in a few Philippine islands.

Among the largest lizards in Asia, they can reach a length of 6 feet and a weight of 20 pounds.

Zoo officials hope to study the lizards and expand breeding programs for them.

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