UTAH

Utah Komodo dragon gives Super Bowl prediction

Feb 6, 2024, 12:15 PM

Raja, a Komodo dragon sits next to papier-mache footballs decorated with the San Francisco 49ers an...

Raja, a Komodo dragon residing at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, presented his Super Bowl prediction on Monday. (Screenshot from a video provided by Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

(Screenshot from a video provided by Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

DRAPER, Utah — Raja, a two-year-old Komodo dragon at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, gave his Super Bowl prediction on Monday. 

Aquarium keepers placed two papier-mâché footballs in the lizard’s habitat according to a press release. Each was decorated with the logo belonging to a team that will play: the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

Inside, the same treat, frozen mice, awaited Raja. 

Per the press release, excitement filled the Ford Expedition Asia Gallery as spectators awaited the Komodo dragon’s prediction. 

Raja ultimately chose to eat from the football bearing the logo of the San Francisco 49ers. 

Super Bowl prediction tradition

“Super Bowl picks at the Aquarium are a fun tradition that not only provide unique enrichment activities for our animals but also opportunities for our guests to connect and explore, discover, and learn about various species and ecosystems on our living planet,” said Karnel Harper, the Director of Marketing and PR for the aquarium. 

In 2020, Takoda, a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth at the aquarium, gave his Super Bowl prediction. Feasting on fruits and vegetables, Takoda predicted that the Kansas City Chiefs would win. 2020 was the first time the Chiefs took on the 49ers. 

Takoda, a sloth residing at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, presented his prediction in 2020.  (Screenshot from a video provided by Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

The sloth’s prediction was correct. The Chiefs won that year’s game.

Only time will tell if Raja’s prediction is right. 

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Utah Komodo dragon gives Super Bowl prediction