The arrival of two Komodo dragons at the Reptile House at 2 a.m. on August 14, 1963 was the culmination of several years of negotiations with the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia. Carefully protected, these monitor lizards could only be obtained with the permission of the Indonesian government, which rarely issued such permits. The two were advertised to be a male and female pair; and since it required a surgical procedure in those days to verify the sex, the Zoo went by the accompanying records. However, there was no observed breeding and no offspring. It wasn't until many years later, when the Zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species developed a hormone analysis technique to determine sex in lizards, that the dragons were discovered to both be females—much to the staff's annoyance. A male was then added to the collection in 1976 to remedy the breeding situation.

After Gila monsters were noted mating in May 1963 and the female was carrying eggs several weeks later, she was separated from the others in the hope that she would successfully lay them. On July 25, five eggs were discovered and taken to the Reptile House for incubation. Two did not hatch, but on November 25, the first hatchling emerged, followed by the others on November 27 and December 1. It was quite a feat for the herpetology staff, and the Zoological Society was awarded the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums' Edward H. Bean Award for significant reproduction for the success.

Dragons and Monsters

Two extraordinary lizard species were big news at the Zoo in 1963: the arrival of two adult Komodo dragons, the Zoo’s first of this species, and the first hatching of Gila monsters in any zoo. While no one wants an actual bite from a venomous lizard, San Diego was bitten by the excitement of seeing these very rare reptiles.

1963

Innovation 1957 - 1966

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