i have recently heard that a Komodo Dragon has given birth.
it has been in captivity AND without other Komodos for quite some time.
it appears to have been immaculately concieved and birthed young ones.
can anyone explain this?
Actually this is a documented scientific fact : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_Dragon#Parthenogenesis
You can read about this "virgin birth" or the scientific name Parthenogenesis in some animals (see below) and specifically in the Komodo Dragon , see link above.
Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which females produce eggs that develop without fertilization. Parthenogenesis is seen in aphids, daphnia, rotifers, and some other invertebrates, as well as in some plants. Among vertebrates, there are several genera of fish, amphibians, and reptiles that exhibit differing forms of asexual reproduction, including true parthenogenesis, gynogenesis, and hybridogenesis (an incomplete form of parthenogenesis).
The asexual whiptail species Cnemidophorus neomexicanus (center) with the sexual species that hybridized to form it, C. inornatus (left) and C. tigris (right). (c) A. J. Cullum
Most reptiles reproduce sexually, but parthenogenesis has been observed in certain species of rock lizards, geckos, whiptails[1], and Komodo Dragons.
Recently, the Komodo dragon which normally reproduces sexually was found to also be able to reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis.[3][4] Because of the genetics of sex determination in Komodo Dragons uses the WZ system (where WZ is female, ZZ is male, WW is inviable) the offspring of this process will be ZZ (male) or WW (inviable), with no WZ females being born. A case has been documented of a Komodo Dragon switching back to sexual reproduction after a parthenogenetic event.[5] It has been postulated that this gives an advantage to colonisation of islands, where a single female could theoretically have male offspring asexually, then switch to sexual reproduction to maintain higher level of genetic diversity than asexual reproduction alone can generate.[5] Parthenogenesis may also occur when males and females are both present, as the wild Komodo dragon population is approximately 75 per cent male.
I was late for work this morning, because I got stuck in Zeno's paradox.
There is a phenomenon that occurs in some animals, in which the female can fertilize her eggs herself, with no need for a male. It happens usually in extreme circumstances. I've never heard that Komodo Dragons can do it, but I know that there are some species of lizard that can, so its not so surprising.
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the baby dragon clearly should be named jesus and is the son of god.
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