Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 25, 2007 1:03:55 GMT -4
5 Komodo dragons born at British zoo! 
By ROB HARRIS, Associated Press WriterWed Jan 24, 7:19 AM ET
A British zoo announced Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
In an evolutionary twist, the newborns' eight-year-old mother Flora shocked staff at Chester Zoo in northern England when she became pregnant without ever having a male partner or even being exposed to the opposite sex.
"Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad," said a delighted Kevin Buley, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The shells began cracking last week, after an eight-month gestation period, which culminated with the arrival on Tuesday of the fifth black and yellow colored dragon.
The dragons are between 15.5 and 17.5 inches and weigh between 3.5 and 5.3 ounces, said Buley, who leads the zoo's expert care team.
He said the reptiles are in good health and enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts.
Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora's virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon.
The evolutionary breakthrough could have far-reaching consequences for endangered species.
Captive breeding could ensure the survival of the world's largest lizards, with fewer than 4,000 Komodos left in the wild.
Scientists hope the discovery will pave the way to finding other species capable of self fertilization.
While it wasn't unusual for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, scientists understood they were witnessing something important when they realized Flora's eggs had been fertilized.
DNA paternity tests confirmed the lack of male input, although the brood are not exact clones of their mother.
Parthenogenesis — where eggs become embryos without male fertilization — had only been noted once before in a Komodo dragon. Genetic tests showed that Sungai, a resident of London Zoo, was the sole parent to offspring last April.[/img]
A British zoo announced Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
In an evolutionary twist, the newborns' eight-year-old mother Flora shocked staff at Chester Zoo in northern England when she became pregnant without ever having a male partner or even being exposed to the opposite sex.
"Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad," said a delighted Kevin Buley, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The shells began cracking last week, after an eight-month gestation period, which culminated with the arrival on Tuesday of the fifth black and yellow colored dragon.
The dragons are between 15.5 and 17.5 inches and weigh between 3.5 and 5.3 ounces, said Buley, who leads the zoo's expert care team.
He said the reptiles are in good health and enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts.
Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora's virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon.
The evolutionary breakthrough could have far-reaching consequences for endangered species.
Captive breeding could ensure the survival of the world's largest lizards, with fewer than 4,000 Komodos left in the wild.
Scientists hope the discovery will pave the way to finding other species capable of self fertilization.
While it wasn't unusual for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, scientists understood they were witnessing something important when they realized Flora's eggs had been fertilized.
DNA paternity tests confirmed the lack of male input, although the brood are not exact clones of their mother.
Parthenogenesis — where eggs become embryos without male fertilization — had only been noted once before in a Komodo dragon. Genetic tests showed that Sungai, a resident of London Zoo, was the sole parent to offspring last April.
www.chesterzoo.org/newsitem.asp?ID=265
>> Enter the dragons – meet the latest Chester Zoo additions, the long-awaited Komodo Dragon babies born to virgin mum, Flora.
Flora, one of the zoo’s two female Komodo dragons – the world’s largest lizard - became an overnight Christmas star when it was revealed in a groundbreaking article in the world’s leading science journal Nature, that she had laid a clutch of fertile eggs without ever being mixed with, or being mated by, a male dragon.
After an anxious wait, Chester Zoo’s keeping staff are celebrating the hatching of five baby dragons. Two fertile eggs still remain in an incubator.
The arrival of the five babies – which measure 40-45 centimetres in length and weigh 100-125grams each (larger than many full grown adult lizards) – brings a happy end to Flora’s story which began last year.
When Flora laid her eggs back on 21st May, they were put in an incubator where three of them collapsed after only a couple of weeks. When they were opened however, staff were astounded to find that they contained embryos – showing that they were fertile.
Scientists at Liverpool University under the guidance of Dr Phill Watts carried out genetic fingerprinting on the three eggs and on the adult Komodo dragons at the zoo. This ‘paternity’ testing proved that Flora was indeed both the ‘mother’ and the ‘father’ of the fertile eggs.
Kevin Buley, the zoo’s Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: “Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad. When the first of the babies hatched, we didn’t know whether to make her a cup of tea or pass her the cigars.”[]
The five new additions are currently being cared for in the zoo’s specialist off-show area where they are enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts and receiving specialist care in their early days. The dragons will eventually be moved into a purpose-built baby dragon enclosure on public display.
Currently black and yellow, the new dragons - all male - will eventually lose their bright colouring as they grow.
“Even though they are only a few days old, our baby dragons are doing very well and receiving the expert care they need at this time. We haven’t made a decision on names yet – as Komodo dragons can live for over 40 years, we want to get the names just right,” added Kevin.
The incubation period for Komodo eggs is between 7 and 9 months. Flora and sister Nessie are part of a European zoo breeding programme to help protect this threatened species, and can be seen in the zoo’s Islands in Danger exhibit which was opened by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
Photographs courtesy of Reuters.
Further Information:
• Five of Flora’s seven eggs have so far hatched. The first baby started to emerge on the 15th January. Other eggs hatched on the 17th, 18th, 21st and 22nd. Zoo staff are keeping their fingers crossed for the two remaining eggs, which could hatch any day.
• The study published in Nature was written in conjunction with London Zoo and the University of Liverpool.
London Zoo provided further DNA material from hatchling dragons which have also been proved to have been produced parthenogenetically.
• Komodo Dragons are the largest lizards in the world, with adult males growing up to 3 metres in length and weighing up to 90Kg.
• There are now believed to be less than 4000 Komodo Dragons left on the planet. They survive on only 3 islands in Indonesia - Komodo, Flores and Rinca - and are still under threat in certain areas of their range as a result of habitat loss and the disappearance of their mammal prey.
• Komodo Dragons are known to be excellent swimmers and can swim across the sea from one island to another.
• Although they are not considered to be poisonous, the saliva from a Komodo Dragon contains a host of deadly bacteria. Wild dragons will ambush and bite their prey and will then track it for up to 2 days until it eventually dies from blood poisoning.
• The first human inhabitants of Komodo were the Ata Modo. They believed that they were created at the same time as the Komodo Dragon when a beautiful spirit woman Putri Naga gave birth to twins – one of the babies was a human child, the second a Komodo Dragon <<
By ROB HARRIS, Associated Press WriterWed Jan 24, 7:19 AM ET
A British zoo announced Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
In an evolutionary twist, the newborns' eight-year-old mother Flora shocked staff at Chester Zoo in northern England when she became pregnant without ever having a male partner or even being exposed to the opposite sex.
"Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad," said a delighted Kevin Buley, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The shells began cracking last week, after an eight-month gestation period, which culminated with the arrival on Tuesday of the fifth black and yellow colored dragon.
The dragons are between 15.5 and 17.5 inches and weigh between 3.5 and 5.3 ounces, said Buley, who leads the zoo's expert care team.
He said the reptiles are in good health and enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts.
Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora's virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon.
The evolutionary breakthrough could have far-reaching consequences for endangered species.
Captive breeding could ensure the survival of the world's largest lizards, with fewer than 4,000 Komodos left in the wild.
Scientists hope the discovery will pave the way to finding other species capable of self fertilization.
While it wasn't unusual for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, scientists understood they were witnessing something important when they realized Flora's eggs had been fertilized.
DNA paternity tests confirmed the lack of male input, although the brood are not exact clones of their mother.
Parthenogenesis — where eggs become embryos without male fertilization — had only been noted once before in a Komodo dragon. Genetic tests showed that Sungai, a resident of London Zoo, was the sole parent to offspring last April.[/img]
A British zoo announced Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
In an evolutionary twist, the newborns' eight-year-old mother Flora shocked staff at Chester Zoo in northern England when she became pregnant without ever having a male partner or even being exposed to the opposite sex.
"Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad," said a delighted Kevin Buley, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The shells began cracking last week, after an eight-month gestation period, which culminated with the arrival on Tuesday of the fifth black and yellow colored dragon.
The dragons are between 15.5 and 17.5 inches and weigh between 3.5 and 5.3 ounces, said Buley, who leads the zoo's expert care team.
He said the reptiles are in good health and enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts.
Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora's virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon.
The evolutionary breakthrough could have far-reaching consequences for endangered species.
Captive breeding could ensure the survival of the world's largest lizards, with fewer than 4,000 Komodos left in the wild.
Scientists hope the discovery will pave the way to finding other species capable of self fertilization.
While it wasn't unusual for female dragons to lay eggs without mating, scientists understood they were witnessing something important when they realized Flora's eggs had been fertilized.
DNA paternity tests confirmed the lack of male input, although the brood are not exact clones of their mother.
Parthenogenesis — where eggs become embryos without male fertilization — had only been noted once before in a Komodo dragon. Genetic tests showed that Sungai, a resident of London Zoo, was the sole parent to offspring last April.
www.chesterzoo.org/newsitem.asp?ID=265
>> Enter the dragons – meet the latest Chester Zoo additions, the long-awaited Komodo Dragon babies born to virgin mum, Flora.
Flora, one of the zoo’s two female Komodo dragons – the world’s largest lizard - became an overnight Christmas star when it was revealed in a groundbreaking article in the world’s leading science journal Nature, that she had laid a clutch of fertile eggs without ever being mixed with, or being mated by, a male dragon.
After an anxious wait, Chester Zoo’s keeping staff are celebrating the hatching of five baby dragons. Two fertile eggs still remain in an incubator.
The arrival of the five babies – which measure 40-45 centimetres in length and weigh 100-125grams each (larger than many full grown adult lizards) – brings a happy end to Flora’s story which began last year.
When Flora laid her eggs back on 21st May, they were put in an incubator where three of them collapsed after only a couple of weeks. When they were opened however, staff were astounded to find that they contained embryos – showing that they were fertile.
Scientists at Liverpool University under the guidance of Dr Phill Watts carried out genetic fingerprinting on the three eggs and on the adult Komodo dragons at the zoo. This ‘paternity’ testing proved that Flora was indeed both the ‘mother’ and the ‘father’ of the fertile eggs.
Kevin Buley, the zoo’s Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: “Flora is oblivious to the excitement she has caused but we are delighted to say she is now a mum and dad. When the first of the babies hatched, we didn’t know whether to make her a cup of tea or pass her the cigars.”[]
The five new additions are currently being cared for in the zoo’s specialist off-show area where they are enjoying a diet of crickets and locusts and receiving specialist care in their early days. The dragons will eventually be moved into a purpose-built baby dragon enclosure on public display.
Currently black and yellow, the new dragons - all male - will eventually lose their bright colouring as they grow.
“Even though they are only a few days old, our baby dragons are doing very well and receiving the expert care they need at this time. We haven’t made a decision on names yet – as Komodo dragons can live for over 40 years, we want to get the names just right,” added Kevin.
The incubation period for Komodo eggs is between 7 and 9 months. Flora and sister Nessie are part of a European zoo breeding programme to help protect this threatened species, and can be seen in the zoo’s Islands in Danger exhibit which was opened by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
Photographs courtesy of Reuters.
Further Information:
• Five of Flora’s seven eggs have so far hatched. The first baby started to emerge on the 15th January. Other eggs hatched on the 17th, 18th, 21st and 22nd. Zoo staff are keeping their fingers crossed for the two remaining eggs, which could hatch any day.
• The study published in Nature was written in conjunction with London Zoo and the University of Liverpool.
London Zoo provided further DNA material from hatchling dragons which have also been proved to have been produced parthenogenetically.
• Komodo Dragons are the largest lizards in the world, with adult males growing up to 3 metres in length and weighing up to 90Kg.
• There are now believed to be less than 4000 Komodo Dragons left on the planet. They survive on only 3 islands in Indonesia - Komodo, Flores and Rinca - and are still under threat in certain areas of their range as a result of habitat loss and the disappearance of their mammal prey.
• Komodo Dragons are known to be excellent swimmers and can swim across the sea from one island to another.
• Although they are not considered to be poisonous, the saliva from a Komodo Dragon contains a host of deadly bacteria. Wild dragons will ambush and bite their prey and will then track it for up to 2 days until it eventually dies from blood poisoning.
• The first human inhabitants of Komodo were the Ata Modo. They believed that they were created at the same time as the Komodo Dragon when a beautiful spirit woman Putri Naga gave birth to twins – one of the babies was a human child, the second a Komodo Dragon <<
