Welcoming Green Keel-Bellied Lizards

Liz celebrate National Volunteer Week by sharing names voted on by our volunteers for a new zoo species!

We’re thrilled to welcome green keel-bellied lizards to our zoo family with the addition of a male and female breeding pair! This species is currently residing in a back-of-house space before they move into the leopard tortoise habitat in the African Rainforest Building, which is set to undergo some modifications before the lizards settle into their new home. Known for their bright green colour, this species dwells in trees and is native to the coastal plains of Kenya and Tanzania and can reach 40 centimetres in length.

This week we’ve been celebrating our incredible volunteer team, who generously donate 60,000 hours a year to our zoo. Part of our celebrations included a naming opportunity for these resplendent reptiles, and we’re delighted to introduce you to female ‘Bixa’ and male ‘Faza’. Bixa is named after the dye-producing plant – you might have even seen it in our ENMAX Conservatory! – which is found in coastal Kenya. Faza is named after a Kenyan town in the native range of this species. Thank you to our vibrant volunteers for helping to name these colourful members of our zoo family!

While you won’t see this species yet when you visit, be sure to stay tuned to our channels for updates!