CHESTER: 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. “We were blown away when we realised what she’d done,” said Kevin Buley, a reptile expert at Flora’s home at Chester Zoo. Other reptile species reproduce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora’s virginal conception, and that of another Komodo dragon at the London Zoo, are the first time it has been documented in a Komodo dragon. At eight years old, Flora is sexually mature. Having been raised in captivity, she has never been exposed to a male Komodo dragon. She lives with her younger sister, Nessie.