CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — She didn't need a man: A female Komodo dragon produced three offspring all on her own.
The Chattanooga Zoo last week shared the miraculous news, saying its female Komodo dragon named Charlie had reproduced via parthenogenesis, meaning no male fertilization required.
Sorry, Kadal -- the male Komodo dragon at the zoo.
Charlie gave birth in August 2019, and the staff learned of the type of reproduction recently through a DNA test. It wasn't known for some time whether Charlie and Kadal were able to successfully breed even after a few introductions and observation of the pair.
"The six-month-old brothers named Onyx, Jasper, and Flint, are growing rapidly and doing very well!" the zoo wrote on Facebook. "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."
The zoo says Komodo dragons in the wild have evolved to reproduce sexually and parthenogenetically as they normally live isolated and can become violent when approached.
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