WEST BRIGHTON — A litter of pocket-sized crocodile lizards were born at Staten Island Zoo this month, officials said.
Seven of the endangered Chinese lizards were born on Oct. 16, the second litter to be born at the zoo, officials said.
The reptiles, especially males, are green colored with reddish neck markings and alternating bands of light and dark marks, the zoo said. Though they are lizards, they get their names from the crocodile-like bony scales that run down their back and tail.
The tiny reptiles are very active at birth and start to swim and feed almost immediately, according to zoo officials. When fully matured, they can grow to almost 19 inches.
The semiaquatic lizard spends most of its time in shallow waters or in nearby vegetation, where it hunts for its diet of tadpoles, worms, snails and insects, according to the zoo.
When outside water, the crocodile lizards often remain motionless for hours in a "metabolic pause" and don't respond to any stimuli, the zoo said.
The animals are native to cool forests in China and Vietnam.
