Virgin birth expected this Christmas

[mdlbear]

Virgin Birth Expected at Christmas -- By Komodo Dragon

A virgin birth is expected this Christmas, though this particular nativity scene will be set in a zoo instead of a stable.

That's because the virgin in question is Flora the Komodo dragon, a giant lizard at Chester Zoo in England that has laid fertile eggs despite never having had a mate.

So, let me get this straight: the Messiah is arriving six years late, and He's a lizard. OK, I can deal with that.

(Edit: s/She/He/ -- sex determination in reptiles works differently from the way it does in mammals. Too bad; it made a better story the other way.)