Komodo Clone or a Virgin Birth?

For some reason I’ve always been fascinated by Komodo Dragons. One of the best chapters of Douglas Adam’s “Last Chance to see” is about an epic trip to view them in the Flores Island (Indonesia) but I only had to go to Animal Kingdom in Florida. They are endangered but for some reason don’t get the same publicity as cute Pandas etc. It now appears they are trying to help themselves by reproducing without needing a partner…

Some advice from Douglas Adams if you ever meet one:

"Komodo dragons sleep headfirst in large burrows. It is a very, very, very bad idea to even think of pulling its tail."

New Scientist Short Sharp Science blog: The daddy of dragons
Who’s the daddy? That’s the question being asked by zoologists stumped by the birth of four rare Komodo dragons at London Zoo – with no obvious male contender on the scene

New Scientist Short Sharp Science blog: The daddy of dragons
Who’s the daddy? That’s the question being asked by zoologists stumped by the birth of four rare Komodo dragons at London Zoo – with no obvious male contender on the scene

UPDATE 29–04–2006: See the Another Chance To See blog with updates on the endangered species featured in the book