Scientists, from the Chester Zoo, England announced on Wednesday the virgin birth of five Komodo dragons, giving scientists new hope for the captive breeding of the endangered species.
Flora, a eight-year-old the Komodo dragon, has produced five hatchlings although a male has never been close to her, proud staff at the Chester Zoo said.
"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.
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Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world, and with their ancient appearance and evocative name they conjure up the stuff of legends. The heavy-set body is long with stocky legs and a long muscular tail; the scaly skin is greyish-brown all over. Dragons from the island of Flores however, are earthen-red in colour with a yellow head. Juveniles have a more striking pattern with very variable combinations of bands and speckling in yellow, green, grey and brown. Komodos have a well-developed sense of smell and their long, forked yellow tongue resembles the mythical, fire-breathing dragons of their name.
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