Apparently, Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards, are capable of producing offspring without sexual contact, when no males are nearby. Earlier this year, a "captive-bred female called Sungai, at London Zoo in the UK, produced four offspring earlier this year - more than two years after her last contact with a male." And at the moment, another Komodo dragon has laid eggs in Chester Zoo which are about to hatch: "Flora laid her eggs at the end of May and, given the incubation period of between seven and nine months, it is possible they could hatch around Christmas - which for a 'virgin birth' would finish the story off nicely.
We will be on the look-out for shepherds, wise men and an unusually bright star in the sky over Chester Zoo."
Read the entire article here. And to conclude this short post, I'll add another priceless comment from that article:
"The researchers said that, to ensure genetic diversity of Komodo dragons kept in captivity, zoos should perhaps keep males and females together to avoid asexual reproduction."
Classy.
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