Men. Who needs them?

Over in an English zoo, a komodo dragon is living a feminist's fantasy....

In an evolutionary twist, Flora the Komodo dragon has managed to become pregnant all on her own without any male help. She is carrying seven baby Komodo dragons.

Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora's virginal conception is the second documented in a Komodo dragon. The first was earlier this year at the London Zoo.

Parthenogenesis is a process in which eggs become embryos without male fertilization. It has been seen in about 70 species, including snakes and lizards. Scientists are unsure whether female Komodo dragons have always had this latent ability to reproduce or if this is a new evolutionary development.

Fascinating. I remember one of the plot twists in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park is that some of the dinosaurs, all created as females, became males, to enable reproduction. That, too, was attributed to other reptile heritage. But I was unaware of parthenogenesis in creatures as complex as komodo dragons.

Feel free to add your own jokes about South Park's Woodland Critter Christmas. (Hail Satan!)