Nashville Zoo makes history as first zoo to breed mysterious, South American lizard species
History has been made at the Nashville Zoo.
The zoo has just become the first organization accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to house the hatching of two crocodile tegus, a lizard species native to South America.
The zoo announced the birth of the new arrivals on Monday. They were born on May 7 and 14 and are both believed to be female. They are currently being raised behind the scenes in the zoo's herpetology department, said the zoo.
The Nashville Zoo is the only AZA organization caring for crocodile tegus. Back in 2018, the Zoo acquired three female juveniles and raised them in an off-exhibit area. A juvenile male was then introduced in 2023. Shortly after, one of the females laid a clutch of 10 eggs, which resulted in two viable eggs.
“When I caught a first glimpse of that little hatchling, I was so excited my hands were shaking,” said Nashville Zoo Herpetology Keeper Katie Gregory, in a news release.
“We are thrilled to learn more about this largely unstudied species and share our discoveries with other AZA organizations and the rest of the world," she added. Gregory was responsible for the care and breeding of the species.
Despite their name, the crocodile tegu is not related to crocodiles.
Not much else is known about the semi-aquatic species, besides the fact that they're excellent swimmers due to their flat, paddle-like tails. Crocodile tegus grow to about four feet in length and are native to the wetlands and forests of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
In addition to the crocodile tegu, the Nashville Zoo has also been the first AZA organization to successfully breed a giant rainbow stripe galliwasp, an Eastern hellbender, a bumble bee toad, a streamside salamander, and much more.
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Zoo makes history by welcoming new lizard species
