Things We Saw Today: Inspirational Komodo Dragon Reproduces All by Herself

(@chattanoogazoo/Instagram)

In further signs that men are inessential (JUST KIDDING! You guys are great), a female Komodo dragon named Charlie has conceived three babies without the help of a male. Charlie, who resides at the Chattanooga Zoo in Tennessee, was previously paired with a male dragon, but wouldn’t mate with him. Instead, she produced her 6-month-old triplets Onyx, Jasper, and Flint via a process known as parthenogenesis.

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Our Komodo Dragon hatchling DNA results are in! *Maury Voice* Kadal, you are NOT the father! In September 2019, we announced that our female Komodo Dragon, Charlie, had become a first-time mother to three hatchlings. At the time, it was unknown if they were a product of breeding with our male, Kadal, or if parthenogenesis had occurred. DNA results show that the hatchlings were, in fact, reproduced through parthenogenesis! The six-month-old brothers named Onyx, Jasper, and Flint, are growing rapidly and doing very well! Although Kadal and Charlie were placed together in hopes of breeding, our staff is very excited to witness this monumental work of nature and be part of such an important conservation program. Parthenogenesis is a type of reproduction where the female produces offspring without male fertilization. In the wild, Komodo dragons mainly live isolated and often become violent when approached, which has allowed these animals to evolve to reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically. This Saturday, February 29 through Sunday, March 1st, the Komodo dragon hatchlings will be viewable by the public in the Forests of the World habitat building. We encourage everyone to visit us and see them up close! #chattzoo #chattanoogazoo #komododragon #komododragons #komododragonhatching #babyanimals #hatchlings #parthenogenesis #noogagram #chattanoogafun @officialmauryshow #mauryshow

A post shared by Chattanooga Zoo (@chattanoogazoo) on Feb 28, 2020 at 7:05am PST

According to the Zoo’s Instagram, “Parthenogenesis is a type of reproduction where the female produces offspring without male fertilization. In the wild, Komodo dragons mainly live isolated and often become violent when approached, which has allowed these animals to evolve to reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically.”

What can we say, we stan a reproductive queen that gets it done all by herself.

(via The Cut)

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