Truth often is stranger than fiction. Bali, and Indonesia included, that area of the world, seems to be teeming with life, and opportunities for life, in the same way only other so-called hotspots of biodiversity are; these hotspots, to quote the subtitle of biodiversityhotspots.org, sponsored by Conservation International, are some of ‘the most remarkable places on earth’, but these regions are ‘also the most threatened’.

The Komodo Dragons are found naturally only on four islands in Indonesia, within or surrounding the Komodo National Park. From Wikipedia:

“The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live, and also to the Komodo dragon’s low metabolic rate. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.”

They have been in the news in the last couple of years. The London and Chester zoos in England, in December 2006, saw virgin births of several dragons; to Flora at Chester and Sungai in London. And more recently at the Sedgwick County zoo, in Wichita, Kansas, hatched in February of 2008, were more examples of parthenogensis, or as its more commonly known ‘virgin birth’. There were DNA tests that confirmed the absence of ‘foreign’ DNA.

The phenomenon is hardly unknown in the animal kingdom. Bees, birds, turkeys in particular, snakes, fish, frogs, lizards, all have been know to give birth this way; still for vertebrate species it is a rare occurance. The array of parthenogenetic species continues to grow in snakes. Sharks and mammals had been left out until recently, in 2007, Biology Letters reported “Virgin Birth in Hammerhead Shark”. There is an article in Slate that continues this discussion here.

We stand at the edge of Nature’s Mystery! Worms divide into smaller worms. Turtles, and Komodo Dragons, can store sperm for years. Sea bass change their sex. Sharks fertilize their own eggs. Male ants clone themselves. Some species of lizards have reproduced for ages with no apparent contributions from the male of the species.

In the human realm virgin birth is also known as ‘Immaculate Conception’. Ordinary thinking sees this as a miracle. What is a miracle? A supernatural intervention in our lives; but we would side with C.S. Lewis and see this intervention as necessary, and perhaps in a sense that would strain our credulity, even common.

We have come a little ways from our original observations on Bali and Indonesia having never closed their back door on creation and Life. Lets see if we can wrap up all these disconnected thoughts and observations on biodiversity and Life in the next post… The desultory trail leads us back into the past but into the future as well.