Virgin dragon prepares to give birth in holiday season

Female Komodo dragons are capable of fertilizing their own eggs thus giving Komodos a distinct survival edge. Nature never fails to amaze!

At eight years old, Flora — whom Buley describes as "demure" — is sexually mature. Having been raised in captivity, she has never been exposed to a male Komodo dragon. She lives with her younger sister, Nessie. Flora's keepers first became suspicious in May, when she laid 25 eggs.

Though it's not uncommon for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, such eggs are not usually fertilized. As a precaution, they were placed in an incubator. About half of Flora's eggs looked like real eggs — they were very white and had solid shells.

When three of them collapsed, scientists took a closer look."We saw blood vessels and a small embryo," said Buley, one of the Nature study's authors. "And we knew immediately that Flora had fertilized the eggs herself."

Thanks, Sasoon Haghverdi !

Link & Image: USA Today
Tags: Komodo Dragon | Lizard | Nature | Egg | Birth