法国动物学家们日前表示，他们对最近4只珍稀的科莫多巨蜥宝宝的诞生既感到高兴又有些迷惑不解，因为他们至今没弄清这些巨蜥宝宝的爸爸到底是谁。

　　Zoologists said they were delighted and perplexed at the birth of four rare Komodo dragons, whose paternity remains a mystery.

　　小蜥蜴出生之谜

　　据法新社4月24日报到，这4只巨蜥宝宝的妈妈是一只名叫Sungai的雌性科莫多巨蜥。Sungai通常都居住在巴黎西部的Thoiry野生动物园里，但是作为欧洲科莫多巨蜥繁育计划的一部分，它被借给了英国伦敦动物园。该计划旨在帮助这种濒临灭绝的珍稀物种增加数量。Sungai在伦敦动物园产的一窝卵于上个月孵化，4只小科莫多巨蜥破壳而出。Sungai竟然在和自己的英国“爱侣”见面之前，就产下了这些受精卵。而且，据动物园工作人员所知，Sungai的上一次的交配时间早在两年之前。当时，它的“夫君”是Thoiry野生动物园里的另外一只名为Kinaam的科莫多巨蜥。

　　The four reptiles were born last month from a clutch laid at London Zoo by a female called Sungai. Sungai normally lives at the Thoiry wildlife park, west of Paris, but was lent to London as part of a European breeding programme to help this badly-endangered species. But Sungai laid the fertilised eggs before even meeting her British lover -- and the last time she is known to have had intercourse was two years ago, with another Thoiry Komodo dragon called Kinaam.

　　两种可能的解释

　　Thoiry野生动物园的创建者保罗告诉法新社记者说，目前，对于巨蜥宝宝的出身之谜，有两种可能的解释：

　　Thoiry founder Paul de la Panouse told AFP that there were two possible answers to the riddle.

　　其一，每只雌性科莫多巨蜥都有受精囊，这意味着它们有能力在很长一段时间存储精子或受精卵。由此看来，Sungai可能就将精子或受精卵存储了两年之久。还有一种解释为，科莫多巨蜥为单性生殖动物，这就是说它们能够进行自我复制，产生自身的复制品。为揭开这个谜底，科学家将进行相关的测试。

　　"Either female komodo dragons are spermthecal, meaning that they have the ability to store sperm or fertilised eggs for long periods, in this case for two years, or they are parthogenetic, meaning that they are self-reproductive -- they produce clones of themselves," de la Panouse said. Genetic tests will be carried out to try to explain the mystery.

　　体形最大的蜥蜴

　　报道说，科莫多巨蜥(Komodo dragon)是世界上体形最大的蜥蜴，其身长能长到3米。这种蜥蜴是食肉类动物，它们通常依靠捕食山羊、鹿和其它哺乳动物为生。科莫多巨蜥的唾液中含有致命的细菌，足以致猎物死亡。

　　The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's biggest lizard, reaching up to three metres (10 feet) long. The creature is carnivorous, killing goats, deer and other mammals through deadly bacteria in its saliva.

　　科莫多巨蜥是在印度尼西亚的科莫多岛、林卡岛、弗洛勒斯岛以及基里·莫堂岛上被发现的。但由于栖息地受到破坏以及外来物种的入侵，现在科莫多巨蜥的数量已经减少到了大约6000只。

　　The dragon is found on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang and Flores, but its numbers have dwindled to around 6,000 as a result of poaching and invasive species.(文/王高山)