The zoo is now home to 8 Guatemalan beaded lizards.
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden announced June 11, 2024 that two critically endangered Guatemalan beaded lizards (Heloderma charlesbogerti) have been born at the zoo, marking the second time that the species has been born at the zoo since 2020. The first births at the zoo occurred in 2022 with four lizards.
“Guatemalan beaded lizards are considered one of the most endangered lizards in the world,” OKC Zoo’s Curator of Herpetology Seamus Ehrhard said in a statement released to the media. “They estimate there are about 200 still living in the wild.” The zoo is now home to 8 Guatemalan beaded lizards. It is currently working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to find another facility that will offer the best match to continue breeding the species.
Beaded Lizard Information
The Guatemalan beaded lizard is only known to occur in the Rio Motagua Valley in Guatemala. It is a venomous lizard that features grooved teeth that are found along the bottom of the jaw next to venom glands. Closely related to the Gila monster, the lizard is a carnivore and feeds on young mammals, nesting birds, and snake, lizard and bird eggs. It is also known to eat the eggs of the endangered Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura palearis). It is considered the rarest of the beaded lizards and with the estimated 200 left in the wild, one of the most endangered lizards in the world. The species was first discovered in 1984 by D. Vasquez, an agricultural laborer in the Motagua Valley.
Four Guatemalan Beaded Lizards Hatched At Oklahoma City Zoo
The Helodermas: Beaded Lizards And Gila Monsters
The 2022 beaded lizards are currently on display at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Herpetarium. The zoo partners with the Foundation for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Guatemala, or FUNDESGUA in an effort to raise awareness and provide protection of the Guatemalan beaded lizard’s habitat. For more information, visit www.okczoo.org.
