A wildlife activist in India found 16 "mystery eggs" that no one could identify for sure. Now, months later, a whole gang of cute Bengal monitor lizard babies have hatched.

In the middle of 2021, the eggs were found near Khordha in eastern India and taken to the offices of Snake Helpline. All efforts to identify the eggs failed but after months of artificial incubation, the eggs showed activity for the first time in March 2022.

On April 12, 2022, the eggs finally started hatching and within three days, healthy Bengal monitor lizard babies had popped out of all the 16 eggs.

Bengal Monitor lizards have a long incubation period of nine months and females usually stick around to protect the eggs from predators. Without their mother, these eggs normally would not have had a chance of survival.

The young lizards were later released into a natural habitat in the presence of a forest official.

"The mystery ended with a pleasant surprise as the population of these lizards is fast depleting. They are being extensively poached for meat and males especially are killed as their sexual organ is believed to be an aphrodisiac. Their skin is also used in making a traditional musical instrument," said Subhendu Mallik from Snake Helpline.

In the middle of 2021, a wildlife activist found 16 strange eggs at a construction site near Khordha in eastern India and brought them to the Snake Helpline office.

As the mother was not spotted it was not clear what the eggs had inside. General Secretary of Snake Helpline Subhendu Mallik was sure that it was not any snake egg but even an exhaustive attempt to identify them failed.

Mallik created an artificial incubation method for the eggs and assigned the responsibility of their daily care to his 14-year-old son Ansuman. Though months passed without the ‘mystery’ eggs showing any sign of hatching, the activists persisted.

The eggs showed activity for the first time in March, and using torch light Subhendu could observe in them a growing embryo with a head and blood vessels. All signs indicated that the eggs had Bengal monitor lizard babies inside.

On April 12, 2022, the eggs finally started hatching and within three days healthy babies had popped out of all the 16 eggs.

Bengal Monitor lizards have a long incubation period of nine months and females usually stick around to protect the eggs from predators. Without their mother these eggs had no chance of survival but for the persistence of the Snake Helpline team.

Subhendu said: “The mystery ended with a pleasant surprise as the population of these lizards is fast depleting. They are being extensively poached for meat and males especially are killed as their sexual organ is believed to be an aphrodisiac. Their skin is also used in making a traditional musical instrument.“

The young lizards were later released at a natural habitat in the presence of a forest official.