Female Crocodile in Costa Rica Has First Known Virgin Birth
TL;DR
Researchers have found that an egg laid by a female crocodile living alone in a Costa Rica zoo was not only fertile, it also contained genetics only from its mother, resulting in a virgin birth. The crocodile had been isolated from other crocodiles its entire life. This type of reproduction is called facultative parthenogenesis and has been documented before in animals including birds, non-avian reptiles, specifically lizards and snakes, and certain types of fish, including sharks and stingrays.
- Crocodile living alone had virgin birth, researchers find USA TODAY
- Crocodile found to have made herself pregnant BBC
- Scientists Discover First Virgin Birth in a Crocodile The New York Times
- A crocodile has first virgin birth of its species, researchers say Business Insider
- Scientists record first known ‘virgin birth’ in female crocodile in Costa Rica The Guardian
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