For the first time, scientists have found evidence that female crocodiles can lay eggs without mating. The egg was laid by an 18-year-old female American crocodile in Parque Reptilania (Costa Rica zoo) in January 2018.
Key points
- The foetus inside was fully formed but stillborn and so did not hatch.
- Her foetus is reportedly 99.9% genetically identical to herself. This incident has left many stunned, including scientists.
- The phenomenon referred to as “virgin birth” – scientifically as facultative parthenogenesis – is very common in sharks, birds, snakes and lizards.
- However, this phenomenon has never been recorded before in crocodiles.
- Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction where female animals who would typically need a male’s sperm to reproduce can do so without mating.
- Rather than storing sperm for years, as reptiles can do, in a pinch, females can fuse two of their cells to make a viable embryo that has only one parent.
