Scientists report of two cases where female Komodo dragons have produced offspring without male contact.
One of the Komodo Dragons named ‘Flora’ a resident of Chester Zoo in the UK, is awaiting her clutch of eight eggs to hatch, with a due-date any time now.
Flora, who has never been kept with a male Komodo dragon, produced 11 eggs earlier this year. Three died off, providing the material needed for genetic tests.
Tests carried out have revealed their eggs had developed without being fertilised by sperm - a process called parthenogenesis. 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.
It is thought that lizards could make use of the ability to reproduce asexually when, for example, a lone female was washed up alone on an island with no males to breed with.
There are currently, at last count fewer than 4,000 Komodo dragons living in the wild, found living on three islands in Indonesia: Komodo, Flores and Rinca.
Adult males can grow up to 3m (10ft) in length and weigh up to 90kg (200lb) - making them the biggest lizards in the world.