There’s a brand-new generation of tiny residents at Houston Zoo, and they’re already stealing hearts! Just in time for spooky season, the Zoo has welcomed a wonderful wave of baby reptiles — several of them conservation milestones worth celebrating.
Among the new arrivals are the Zoo’s first-ever Hosmer’s spiny-tailed skinks, plus baby Henkel’s leaf-tailed geckos — masters of disguise with huge eyes who clean them with their tongues — and five healthy eyelash pit vipers, born live and fully independent with their signature “eyelashes” that are really tiny scales. Young star tortoises are also back at the Zoo, giving guests their first chance in recent years to see the species, with no two shell patterns alike.
Many of these births came from carefully managed breeding recommendations through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, supporting genetically healthy populations of these remarkable animals. You can meet the new babies in a special habitat right at the entrance of the Reptile and Amphibian House, next to the reticulated pythons.
As a nonprofit conservation organization, every ticket and membership helps protect wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on around the world. A fall visit just got a whole lot more adorable!
Photo: Barbara Alicea-Aponte/Houston Zoo
