The BBC1 are calling her the proud “mum and dad”. I’m talking about Flora, who is the parent of five baby Komodo dragons so far. Read the story at the link above. 
You’ll recall my earlier post about her, back when she featured in the “virgin birth” story leading up to the Christmas period. Just to remind you, she is one of the first Komodo dragons known to produce offspring by parthenogenesis. Yes, I liked that picture (to the right) of her so much that I can’t resist using it again. Click either for a larger view.
-cvj
1Thanks Mary Cole!
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Thanks for that Clifford – quite remarkable. One might almost discern the handiwork of an intelligent designer in such a scheme :
pedant:- Actually, they are all male. Komodo dragons are not mammals. The males have identical chromosomes, not the females. It’s not my field, but I think that this is the case.
Cheers,
-cvj
I too saw the happy family on the Beeb, who referred to the little ones (one almost said chaps) as if they were males. Where have their Y chromosomes come from? Or is this just a bit of unwitting and benign gender blindness from our favorite PC paragon?
Whatever, they are all very cute, if a little prone to violence in old age. (Didn’t Sharon Stone buy one for her beau, that then chomped a chunk out of his leg?)