TORONTO STAR (Ontario) 24 January 07 Komodo dragon becomes mother and father
London (Reuters): Flora, a Komodo dragon who has never mated or even mixed with a male, became a mother and father of five this week, British scientists said on Wednesday.
Scientists announced in December in the journal Nature that Flora had fertilised the eggs herself without any male help, in a process culminating in parthenogenesis or "virgin birth".
"When the first of the babies hatched, we didn't know whether to make her a cup of tea or pass her the cigars," said Kevin Buley a curator at the Chester Zoo in England where Flora and her babies are said to be doing fine.
Other lizards can fertilize their eggs by parthenogenesis, but Buley and his team said it was the first time it has been shown that Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards, can also accomplish it.
Two fertilized eggs are still in an incubator.
The baby dragons measured 40-45 cm (15-18 inches) and weighed up to 125 grams (4.4 ounces) when they were hatched and are being cared for in a special area of the zoo where they have been feasting on a diet of crickets and locusts.
"We haven't made a decision on names yet – as Komodo dragons can live for over 40 years, we want to get the names just right," Buley added.
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/174329
NBC (New York, New York) 24 January 07 Zoo celebrates virgin birth of Komodo dragons - Mother never even exposed to males; breakthrough raises scientists’ hopes
Photo: A baby Komodo dragon is held by a zoo keeper after hatching at the Chester Zoo in northern England on Monday. (Phil Noble/Reuters)
Manchester, England: A British zoo announced Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
In an evolutionary twist, the newborns’ eight-year-old mother Flora shocked staff at Chester Zoo in northern England when she became pregnant without ever having a male partner or even being exposed to the opposite sex.
“Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad,” said a delighted Kevin Buley, the zoo’s curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The shells began cracking last week, after an eight-month gestation period, which culminated with the arrival on Tuesday of the fifth black and yellow colored dragon.
The dragons are between 15.5 and 17.5 inches and weigh between 3.5 and 5.3 ounces, said Buley, who leads the zoo’s expert care team.
He said the reptiles are in good health and enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts.
Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora’s virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon.
The evolutionary breakthrough could have far-reaching consequences for endangered species.
Captive breeding could ensure the survival of the world’s largest lizards, with fewer than 4,000 Komodos left in the wild.
Scientists hope the discovery will pave the way to finding other species capable of self fertilization.
While it wasn’t unusual for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, scientists understood they were witnessing something important when they realized Flora’s eggs had been fertilized.
DNA paternity tests confirmed the lack of male input, although the brood are not exact clones of their mother.
Parthenogenesis — where eggs become embryos without male fertilization — had only been noted once before in a Komodo dragon. Genetic tests showed that Sungai, a resident of London Zoo, was the sole parent to offspring last April.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16784022/
