LOS ANGELES – Two new baby lizards have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, the first of their kind to be bred there, zoo officials said Thursday.

Perentie lizards or Varanus giganteus are native to Australia and are among the largest lizards in the world. They are dwarfed only by the Komodo dragon and a few others.

“It is an incredible blessing for our team to be successful in breeding this species,” zoo curator Byron Wusstig said in a statement. “This species is not endangered but is rarely seen in zoos outside Australia.”

The LA Zoo is one of only three institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that have successfully reproduced the species, Wusstig said, and it is the first time in its history that the zoo has bred the Perentie lizard species.

Zoo officials said the baby lizards are doing well, eating and are being closely monitored by staff. They are raised outside of the exhibit in a controlled environment during their early stages of life. Visitors can see the father at the Komodo dragon’s habitat in the Australia section of the zoo.

Adult Perentie lizards can reach more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length and weigh more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms), the zoo said. They have brown skin with cream or yellow markings. The carnivorous species eats turtle eggs, insects, birds, other reptiles, as well as small mammals and marsupials, swallowing its prey whole.