Four Caiman Lizards Hatch at Denver Zoo

© October 8th, 2010 - All rights reserved © Denver Zoo

DENVER, Colroado – Denver Zoo has four young Caiman lizards crawling around inside its Tropical Discovery exhibit.  They hatched on September 22 and 23 and October 3. Their genders are not yet known. Guests can see the hatchlings in Tropical Discovery’s nursery now. Caiman lizards are known to be snail specialists. Their jaws are so strong that they can crack open, in seconds, hard snail shells that can resist the jaws of various other predators. Their teeth and tongues are also specialized to clear the broken parts of the shell out of their mouth while keeping the actual snail inside of their mouths to eat.  There are only 55 lizards in 15 North American zoos and aquariums, with the new additions.  Sharing a resemblance to the caiman crocodile’s scaly back, the lizards are based in the Amazon region of South America.  Caiman lizards can adapt to live on land or in water.  In the Amazon jungle, one can hear the crunching sounds of a Caiman lizard consuming snails the size of a fist.  Adults grow to two to four feet long and weigh three to six pounds.

BACK