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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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 Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: Two Komodo dragon eggs hatch without male fertilization |
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Apparently immaculate Komodos hatched Thu Feb 7, 6:44 PM ET
Two Komodo dragons have hatched at the Sedgwick County Zoo, apparently without the fertilization of a male. The dragons, both males, are believed to be the first in North America known to have hatched by parthenogenesis, which occurs naturally in some species, including invertebrates and lower plants. It happens more rarely in some vertebrates.
Two other known cases in which Komodo dragons hatched by parthenogenesis were at the London and Chester zoos in England in 2006.
The zoo in Wichita is having DNA testing done to document the mother's and the babies' genetic structure because of the remote chance that a male's sperm was stored on the female's body.
Komodo dragons are one of the few species capable of storing sperm, said Don Boyer, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the San Diego Zoo and species survival plan coordinator for Komodo dragons.
The Sedgwick County Zoo has had this female and one other since 1993, when they were less than a year old. They have been laying eggs since 2000.
"We never had a male dragon at the zoo. There were no tramps that came wandering through," said Nate Nelson, the zoo's curator of amphibians, reptiles and fishes.
One of the Kansas zoo's females, Gaia, laid at least 17 eggs on the nights of May 19 and 20, 2007. The females can lay as many as 30 eggs at a time.
Because the English zoos had documented parthenogenesis, the Sedgwick County Zoo checked to see whether the eggs were fertile. Only two of the 17 eggs were hatched � one on Jan. 31 and the other Feb. 1 � because the zoo doesn't have room for more dragons, Nelson said.
One is 16 inches long; the other is 17 inches. Komodo dragons can living 20 to 40 years. Males can reach 10 feet long and weigh as much as 200 pounds; females grow to between 5 and 7 feet and weigh as much as 125 pounds.
Komodo dragons are endangered, with between 3,000 and 5,000 in the wild. Eighty live in 30 zoos in North America. Only six zoos in the nation breed the dragons.
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On the Net:
Sedgwick County Zoo: http://www.scz.org/[/b] |
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080207/ap_on_fe_st/odd_komodo_dragons&printer=1;_ylt=AoOHwIZRAVJ6G0SGdr6.L9UuQE4F
 Whatever the cause for this amazing event, it's still incredible! Nature is so powerful I don't think we will ever completely understand it all. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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This bodes ill for male mammals, including human males.
The feminists are creaming their panties over this news. On the downside, they'll have to find another target group to bitch about.
God forbid they turn on each other. It would be an absolute bloodbath |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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This bodes ill for male mammals, including human males.
The feminists are creaming their panties over this news. On the downside, they'll have to find another target group to *beep* about.
God forbid they turn on each other. It would be an absolute bloodbath. |
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Czarjorge
Joined: 01 May 2007
Location: I now have the same moustache, and it is glorious.
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I think it's more likely that the Chinese, given their shortage of women, start serious work on cloning. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:07 am Post subject: |
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My goodness people, these are reptiles. Reptiles have been on this earth for some 100 million years or more? And how long have humans been here or mammals for that matter? Reptiles have had to adapt in order to survive that long. In many ways, they are superior to mammals and this goes to prove just how superior they are at adapting to extreme situations.
These female dragons have been at this zoo since 1993. They were brought there before they hit the age where they could lay eggs. No male has been there all this time. So it doesn't sound like they could have ever been introduced to a male for any sort of breeding purposes. I can't wait to find out what the DNA studies tell us. They can't be clones of their mother or can they? They are both males. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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This is nothing new. You even mentioned an old word for it in the article: parthenogenesis.
It is a less desirable method for reproduction however as it does not allow for the introduction of new DNA. |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Wasn't there a female shark (Hammerhead I think) that did the same thing? I vaguely remember studying in biology class years ago, about another animal in captivity that did that too. Interesting that both of the offspring were males though? |
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greedy_bones
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: not quite sure anymore
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Come on, guys. This has nothing to do with adaptation or mutation. This is clearly a case of a reptilian Jesus. |
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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like the feminists' wet-dream. Probably already looking to repeat it reliably.
V: can you please rename your link, hence reducing the sidescroll? |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| greedy_bones wrote: |
| Come on, guys. This has nothing to do with adaptation or mutation. This is clearly a case of a reptilian Jesus. |
Holy Komodo!!! Move over cows and smokes. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:45 am Post subject: |
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| Gopher wrote: |
| Sounds like the feminists' wet-dream. Probably already looking to repeat it reliably. |
Now why would they want to do that when the only offspring that can be produced are males? This story has nothing to do with feminists and I don't know why you've decided to spin it that way. |
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