Published: Saturday, June 28, 2008
Rare Komodo dragon staying in Vegas
Hard to find in Vegas: Cheap buffets. 99-cent shrimp cocktails. Single-deck blackjack.
The list of endangered species in Las Vegas just got longer: A Komodo dragon has arrived at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
The 87-pound, 7-foot-long endangered lizard was acquired from the Miami Metro Zoo in honor of the aquarium's eighth anniversary.
It's among 75 such lizards held in zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and Canada, according to Shark Reef officials. From 3,000 to 5,000 exist in the wild, largely on Komodo Island and three surrounding islands in southeast Indonesia.
A Komodo dragon has sharklike serrated teeth and a bite can be deadly. Its saliva contains roughly 50 different known bacteria strains.
Associated Press
The list of endangered species in Las Vegas just got longer: A Komodo dragon has arrived at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
The 87-pound, 7-foot-long endangered lizard was acquired from the Miami Metro Zoo in honor of the aquarium's eighth anniversary.
It's among 75 such lizards held in zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and Canada, according to Shark Reef officials. From 3,000 to 5,000 exist in the wild, largely on Komodo Island and three surrounding islands in southeast Indonesia.
A Komodo dragon has sharklike serrated teeth and a bite can be deadly. Its saliva contains roughly 50 different known bacteria strains.
Associated Press
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