3 rare earless monitor lizards hatched in Moscow Zoo

In late January, the Moscow Zoo, which is supervised by the Moscow Department of Culture, got baby earless monitor lizards; they are the second generation of rare reptiles that were hatched there. Now they are placed in a separate terrarium and are being monitored by zoologists.

“The baby lizards whose gender is unknown so far are doing great. At three weeks of age, each of them weighs about 13 to 14 grams with a body length of 12 to 14 centimeters. The hatchlings have already undergone their first molt and have begun to eat themselves. Their diet at the Moscow Zoo consists of earthworms and snails, like that of adult lizards,” says Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

The hatchlings and their parents live at the Terrarium Pavilion in special restricted rooms.

Earless monitor lizards appeared at the Moscow Zoo back in 2018; they had in fact been seized at one of the capital’s airports. After several years, zoologists managed to adapt the lizards and obtain their first offspring.

They live at the junction of water and land and need special thermal conditions and a certain level of water acidity. To maintain the required parameters, herpetologists use magnolia leaves and conduct laboratory analysis of the water from time to time. Reproduction of lizards requires careful supervision, too; after laying, the eggs are placed in an incubator with a constant temperature of 27–28 degrees Celsius, for about 90 days. When being hatching, baby lizards use a special egg tooth to crack open the shell.

The earless monitor lizard is an evolutionary ancestor of snakes and the only living species in the family Lanthanotidae. They are nocturnal animals found in the northwest of Kalimantan. For a long time they were thought to be extinct; however, in early 20 th century they were found at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. Today, there are about 100 earless monitor lizards in the world, including museum exhibits; the species is therefore considered endangered. Earless monitor lizards have poison glands, although their venom is not dangerous to humans.

Supervised by the Moscow Department of Culture, the Moscow Zoo is one of the oldest in Europe as it was founded by the Imperial Russian Society for the Acclimatization of Animals and Plants back in 1864. Its history is associated with the names of outstanding Moscow University scientists, such as Karl Rouillier, Anatoly Bogdanov and Sergei Usov.

Today, the Moscow Zoo continues to rapidly expand; it is engaged in profound scientific research, hosts international conferences and delivers educational programs, while creating a unique atmosphere for introducing residents and visitors to the amazing world of wild animals.

In early 2025, its population reached 1253 animal species — a world record and an outstanding result of long-term work of zoologists, veterinarians, keepers and other staff.