'Virgin births' for giant lizards (BBC)

The largest lizards in the world are capable of "virgin births".

Scientists report of two cases where female Komodo dragons have produced offspring without male contact.

Tests revealed their eggs had developed without being fertilised by sperm - a process called parthenogenesis, the team wrote in the journal Nature.

One of the reptiles, Flora, a resident of Chester Zoo in the UK, is awaiting her clutch of eight eggs to hatch, with a due-date estimated around Christmas.

Kevin Buley, a curator at Chester Zoo and a co-author on the paper, said: "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.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6196225.stm

JESUS LIZARD LIVES !!!

mother nature will find a way!

Jurastic Park :)

... another Cheney!

Oh what a holiday treat. :evilgrin:

It's called Parthenogenesis. Relatively common among some of the reptilians. Unless I miss my mark, I believe that there is a species of gecko that only has what can only be termed of as females, yet that species thrives through "unigender" reproduction or "parthenogenesis".