AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Zoo has just announced the arrival of a new Komodo dragon – a 4-year-old named Jasper.
“Jasper has several connections to the Akron Zoo,” officials said in a press release Friday morning. “The zoo’s previous female Komodo dragon, Draco, was his aunt. His mother, Charlie, lived at the Akron Zoo between 2012-2016 before she moved to the Chattanooga Zoo based on breeding recommendations from the Komodo Dragon Species Survival Plan (SSP).”
After he hatched on Aug. 4, 2019, it was discovered through DNA testing that Jasper and his two brothers were reproduced through parthenogenesis, which zoo officials say is a type of reproduction where the female is able to produce offspring without male fertilization.
“Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and are the largest lizards in the world,” zoo officials explain. “They can reach up to 10 feet in length and weigh, on average, between 150-300 pounds. Jasper, as a young Komodo dragon, weighs 10 pounds and is a little over four feet long.”
Jasper joins Padar, the Akron Zoo’s other Komodo dragon.
“As Komodo dragons are solitary, the two males will alternate their time in the public habitat,” the Akron Zoo noted.
Komodo dragons are classified as endangered by IUCN Red List, mainly due to habitat loss, hunting, climate change and invasive species introducing new diseases.
