The Jesus Lizard

Jesse Walker | December 21, 2006

A Christmas miracle at the zoo:

Scientists report of two cases where female Komodo dragons have produced offspring without male contact.

Tests revealed their eggs had developed without being fertilised by sperm - a process called parthenogenesis, the team wrote in the journal Nature.

One of the reptiles, Flora, a resident of Chester Zoo in the UK, is awaiting her clutch of eight eggs to hatch, with a due-date estimated around Christmas.

David Icke has not yet issued a statement.

Comments

Jeff P|12.21.06 @ 11:30AM|#

If three geckos from the east show up bearing gifts....

Lets hope this is the first act of the Rapture of the Reptiles, when all faithful lizards are taken unto heaven, while the vile warm-bloodeds are Left Behind.

Guy Montag|12.21.06 @ 11:33AM|#

I suspect magic fruitcake is involved.

However, it could be th same deal as those puppies born to a cat and that fake stem cell research from Korea.

Being in the spirit this season, I am going with the fruitcake.

|12.21.06 @ 11:35AM|#

I think we should be deeply concerned about the implications of these komodo dragons raising their offspring as single mothers. The fact that no male was involved, not even in a purely biological role, just further accelerates the decline of the traditional dragon family.

|12.21.06 @ 11:35AM|#

But while we're on embarrasing statements and claims, here's some pretty outrageous stuff from the people Jacod Sullum slums around with on TownHall

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612200005

How can we trust Barack HUSSIEN Obama when he has had contact with filthy Muslims, says right-wing pundit.

|12.21.06 @ 11:37AM|#

Oops, wrong thread. What I wanted to point out here was that parthogenetic lizards (females that reproduce without males) are actually not that unheard of: there is an entire species that is female only, no sex involved.

Just more reminders that sexual reproduction is just a sub-variation of asexual reproduction.

|12.21.06 @ 11:44AM|#

Wasn't this part of the plot fromJurassic Park?

|12.21.06 @ 11:45AM|#

thoreau

I agree with your comments concerning the decline of dragon families. However, if you are going to try to separate these dragonettes [or is that Young Komodosols?] from their mother, you're on your own.

|12.21.06 @ 11:47AM|#

Aresen-

I figure the Dragon Protective Services can send a SWAT team to do a no-knock raid.

|12.21.06 @ 11:49AM|#

It's a Critter Christmas miracle, hail Satan!

|12.21.06 @ 11:51AM|#

I want one of these lizards as a pet.

My own personal Jesus lizard.

|12.21.06 @ 11:58AM|#

I saw Jesus Lizard play around 1993. Great show.

|12.21.06 @ 12:06PM|#

This is great news!

:-|12.21.06 @ 12:07PM|#

One of the reptiles, Flora, a resident of Chester Zoo in the UK, is awaiting her clutch of eight eggs to hatch, with a due-date estimated around Christmas.

After which she will name them Rosie, Melissa, Ellen, K.D., Billie Jean...

|12.21.06 @ 12:15PM|#

wasn't here a really shitty band in the mid90s called "Jesus Lizard"

man those guys sucked ass

|12.21.06 @ 12:31PM|#

Wasn't this part of the plot fromJurassic Park?

Indeed...

simon lefaux|12.21.06 @ 12:50PM|#

don't get me wrong, it's a nice virgin birth, but it's a mouth breather

RSDavis|12.21.06 @ 1:40PM|#

I thought you were talking about this Jesus Lizard.

- R

|12.21.06 @ 2:26PM|#

Infidels! I am already worshipping our new reptilian overlords and would suggest all other right-thinking, moral people to do the same.

biologist|12.21.06 @ 3:00PM|#

wrong, wrong, wrong.

everyone knows the Jesus lizard is the Australian frilled lizard, which can run across the surface of the water.

see also: basilisks, which are also capable of running across water surfaces for short distances.

this is a "Mary lizard"

Mary reproduced as a virgin, not Jesus.

come on, people

|12.21.06 @ 3:08PM|#

"wasn't here a really shitty band in the mid90s called "Jesus Lizard"

man those guys sucked ass"

by shitty band, you mean awesome, right? pick up goat or liar if anyone is in doubt of their greatness.

|12.21.06 @ 3:08PM|#

biologist,

How do you know they weren't referring to the offspring?

biologist|12.21.06 @ 3:14PM|#

madpad,

could be, but the post seemed to be emphasizing the mothers

I'm not serious, in any case, other than the fact that some other lizards are already known as Jesus lizards, for the reason I gave

Jesse Walker|12.21.06 @ 3:23PM|#

The post was named after the band, and the band was named after the lizards described by Biologist. Everyone's a winner.

|12.21.06 @ 6:20PM|#

Away in the egg nest, where it was just swell,
The little Komodo hatched from an egg shell.
The experts and bright guys blinked down where he lay,
A little Komodo -- asexuallay?

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
The little Komodo, his first kill he makes.
Crip-pled by bite septic, a cow slowly dies.
As little Komodo tears meat from its thighs!

|12.21.06 @ 7:15PM|#

Stevo wins the thread, though Thoreau gets points for working in a Depeche Mode reference.

|12.21.06 @ 9:15PM|#

No accounting for taste, I suppose.

|12.23.06 @ 1:29AM|#

There was a story about Jesus fish (whales?) a few years ago in a, IIRC, Jacksonville aquarium. All the Jesus freaks went nuts. As it turned out, the sexless reproduction was nothing new. In Japan, the offspring (eggs?) were eaten as a delicacy for years.

|12.23.06 @ 4:27AM|#

Well, I was going to make a comment about "To hell with what David Icke thinks, what is David Yow's opinion?" but others have, albeit implicitly, beat me to the punch.

(Poor Joshua Corning, he must've heard the EP 'Pure' and written them off... His loss!)

"Make me / Another boilermaker"