THE JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI – A zoo in Shizuoka Prefecture has used artificial incubation to hatch Galapagos land iguanas, a rare species unique to the Galápagos Islands.
This is the first time in Japan that this rare lizard has hatched from eggs in artificial conditions, according to iZoo in Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The zoo obtained two adult iguanas in 2017 and six more in 2018. Last year, they laid eggs without their breeders’ knowledge and three eggs hatched naturally.
Based on this experience, the zoo looked after the reptiles under the same temperature and other conditions as last year, and confirmed 16 eggs had been laid on June 11. All the eggs were transferred to an incubator to increase the chance of hatching.
They began to hatch on September 29, and iguanas had emerged from all 16 eggs by October 1.
