what is the reproductive systems of the komodo dragan?

Answer 1

Komodo Dragons are pretty much like most reptiles and lay eggs. It is possible that they can reproduce without even having a male handy which is parthenogenesis, but this has not been proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. They still use sexual reproduction like chickens and humans do only just like their fellow reptiles snakes and alligators they lay eggs.

What makes them so dangerous is that they have a toxic mix of bacteria that lives in their salvia so even one bite can prove fatal. This allows them to take their time to follow their prey until it dies and then gorge on it.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon#Parthenogenesis
"Sungai, a Komodo Dragon at London Zoo, laid a clutch of eggs in early 2006 after being separated from males for more than two years. Scientists initially assumed that she had been able to store sperm from her earlier encounter with a male, an adaptation known as superfecundation.

On December 20, 2006, it was reported that Flora, a captive Komodo Dragon living in the Chester Zoo in England, is the second known Komodo dragon to have laid unfertilized eggs: she laid 11 eggs, and 7 of them hatched. Scientists at Liverpool University in northern England performed genetic tests on three eggs that collapsed after being moved to an incubator, and verified that Flora had had no physical contact with a male dragon.

After being told of the condition of Flora's eggs, testing showed that Sungai's eggs were also produced without outside fertilization. On 24, January 2007, zoo officials announced that 7 of Flora's eggs had hatched, and that the hatchlings, all male, were doing well in a new enclosure prepared for them. However, unless there is proof that any of Sungai's eggs developed, this is no proof of parthenogenesis in Sungai, as unmated oviparous female animals and birds often lay infertile eggs.

Komodo dragons have the ZW chromosomal sex-determination system, not the mammalian XY system. That her progeny were male, shows that Flora's unfertilized eggs were haploid and doubled their chromosomes later to become diploid, and that she did not lay diploid eggs as would have happened if one of the meiosis reduction-divisions in her ovaries had failed, and that the egg was not fertilized by a polar body. When a female Komodo dragon (with ZW sex chromosomes) reproduces in this manner, she provides her progeny with only one chromosome from each of her pairs of chromosomes, including only one of her two sex chromosomes. This single set of chromosomes is duplicated in the egg, which develops parthenogenetically. Eggs receiving a Z chromosome become ZZ (male); those receiving a W chromosome become WW and fail to develop.

It has been hypothesized that this reproductive adaptation allows a single female to enter an isolated ecological niche (such as an island) and by parthenogenesis produce male offspring, thereby establishing a sexually reproducing population (via reproduction with her offspring that can result in both male and female young). Despite the advantages of such an adaptation, zoos are cautioned that parthenogenesis may be detrimental to genetic diversity."

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptile#Reproductive
"Most reptiles reproduce sexually. All male reptiles except turtles and tortoises have a twin tube-like sexual organ called the hemipenes. Turtles and tortoises have a single penis. All testudines lay eggs, none are live bearing as some lizards and snakes are. All reproductive activity occurs with the cloaca, the single exit/entrance at the base of the tail where waste and reproduction happens.

Asexual reproduction has been identified in squamates in six families of lizards and one snake. In some species of squamates, a population of females are able to produce a unisexual diploid clone of the mother. This asexual reproduction called parthenogenesis occurs in several species of gecko, and is particularly widespread in the teiids (especially Aspidocelis) and lacertids (Lacerta) In captivity Komodo dragons (varanidae) have reproduced by parthenogenesis.

Parthenogenetic species are also suspected to occur among chameleons, agamids, xantusiids, and typhlopids.

Amniotic eggs are covered with leathery or calcareous shells. An amnion, chorion and allantois are present during embryonic life. There are no larval stages of development."

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproduction
"Sexual reproduction is a biological process by which organisms create descendants that have a combination of genetic material contributed from two (usually) different members of the species. Each of two parent organisms contributes half of the offspring's genetic makeup by creating haploid gametes. Most organisms form two different types of gametes. In these anisogamous species, the two sexes are referred to as male (producing sperm or microspores) and female (producing ova or megaspores). In isogamous species the gametes are similar or identical in form, but may have separable properties and then may be given other different names. For example, in the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, there are so-called "plus" and "minus" gametes. A few types of organisms, such as ciliates, have more than two kinds of gametes."

Answer 2

Komodo Dragon Reproduction

Answer 3

The link below has information on Parthogenesis, a trait of Komodo Dragons.

Answer 4

Answer is URETHRA because it is an opening and not a duct..