Komodo Dragon

Okay get ready for the big word: parthenogenesis.

Don't understand? Well we were pretty puzzled too when Flora, one of our Komodo Dragons, had babies without ever having mated.

Her incredible story made national headlines and we were inundated with calls from interested scientists, researchers and other UK zoos.

It turned out the babies were conceived by a process called, yes, you guessed it – parthenogenesis. Before 2007, when the babies were born, we knew some animals produced young this way, but this was the first time we'd witnessed it in a Komodo Dragon.

So you can understand why we're very excited and proud to have this ancient species in our zoo.

Flora had eight offspring in total, which have now settled in zoos in the UK around the world, such as Budapest Zoo, Leipzig Zoo, Pretoria Zoo and Randers Zoo in Denmark. Flora sadly passed away in 2013 but during her lifetime she played a very special part in helping us understand more about this amazing species.

Our Komodo Dragon enclosure can be found in the Islands in Danger exhibit, where you'll be able to spot our male dragon, Trooper, who joined us in 2010 from Reptilandia in Gran Canaria.

Komodo Dragons are the reptile world's gorilla equivalent – big and charismatic. They're one of the largest reptiles on the planet. They're also one of the oldest and look like it too – all knobbly, scaly. Some of you might think them ugly.

But we don't, we think they're fantastic, magical, muscular and mysterious. They can also be gentle, curious and love exploring. We lay scent trails to stimulate their natural curiosity and keep their surroundings really interesting for them.

Our Komodo Dragons also share their exhibit with a number of birds, and hopefully soon with smaller skinks too.

Ours are an important part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, a carefully managed scheme overseeing breeding of zoo animals in the UK and other countries.

We also support Wae Wuul Nature Reserve on Flores, one of the Indonesian isles where Komodo Dragons live in the wild.

There an important conservation project includes educating people about their importance, monitoring dragon numbers, warden patrols and protecting the local environment which is home to a wealth of animal and plant life.

Your visits to Chester Zoo help us to continue funding support for the reserve.

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