SEX IN ANIMALS
Sex is at the heart of the preservation of any species. In 2006, two female dragons - two Komodo dragons - laid eggs without being in contact with male dragons, and the unfertilized eggs hatched. The staff of the two European zoos were amazed and terribly happy because the giant dragons from the isolated island of Komodo in the Pacific Ocean are an endangered species.
This type of reproduction - reproduction without sexual contact - is called parthenogenesis. The name comes from the Greek words parthenos, meaning "virgin" and genesis, meaning "to create."
Over 2,000 species could reproduce without a partner. Colonies of bees, wasps and ants have queens. Queens are constantly laying eggs; eggs that are not fertilized by a "king" and from which "workers" hatch.
By Dr. Maria Staykova
