The Nashville Zoo welcomes new Komodo dragons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) – Two baby reptiles just made their debut at the Nashville Zoo. Her birth marks the first successful hatching of this species ever at the zoo.

Komodo dragons were born late last month. The zoo reports that they weigh about as much as a stick of butter and are doing well.

The pair won't be this small for much longer, as Komodo dragons are considered the largest and heaviest lizards on earth. They reach up to three meters in length and can weigh more than 300 pounds.

It's been ten years since the first Komodo dragon arrived in Nashville. There are now a total of seven of these two in the zoo.

It is a big deal that this species hatched successfully as it is critically endangered.

The zoo works with the Komodo Survival Program to protect them and contribute to population growth. They also help with conservation work abroad, such as purchasing a new boat to transport researchers and porters to transport traps between monitoring sites.

As Channel 5 turns 70, we remember the 1960s RnB showcase Night Train

When I was younger, people of my generation spent part of their weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. This was before the age of music videos. A few years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville on NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the '60s and featured what may have been the first TV appearance of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders looks back at the station's history.

-Lelan Statom