The Sedgwick County Zoo has become the first zoo in the Americas to document that Komodo dragons are capable of parthenogenesis (reproduction without the contribution of a male).

One Komodo dragon entered the world on January 31 and a second hatched on February 1, 2008 thanks to this type of asexual reproduction.

Parthenogenesis is a reproductive process that occurs naturally in some species including invertebrates, lower plants, and less commonly in vertebrates such as reptiles and fish. A parthenogenetic egg needs no fertilization from a male because it inherits and duplicates the mother’s chromosome. Based on a Komodo dragon’s genetics of sex determination, hatchlings reproduced in this way will always be male.

The hatchlings are healthy and feisty, the first measuring almost 17 inches long from nose to tail and weighing 104 grams and the second hatchling measuring 16 inches long and weighing 100 grams. Both males are doing well. Because of the nature of Komodo dragons, only one will be on exhibit at a time starting today, February 6, in the Amphibian and Reptile Building.

Sedgwick County Zoo has two adult Komodo dragons; both are female and cared for separately. One female laid approximately 17 eggs on May 19-20, 2007 and Zoo staff followed the Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation to incubate and hatch two eggs. The SSP wanted to further document that Komodo dragons are capable of parthenogenesis. Only two earlier cases were documented in 2006 at London Zoo and Chester Zoo in England.