Scientists were baffled when they discovered 14 virgin-birthed crocodile eggs for the first time. Here's what they say happened.
, this kind of change has been seen in sharks and other animals that are sequestered from male interaction for long periods. Further, some animals reproduce asexually, never requiring a creature of the opposite sex to reproduce.Further investigations into the fetus’s heart showed that it shared a 99.9 percent genetic match with the DNA taken from the mother’s shed skin, confirming that the virgin-birthed crocodile eggs were indeed conceived without a father present.
Virgin birth in animals is also known as facultative parthenogenesis and has been documented in several species of fish, lizards, and birds, like the sharks I mentioned above. However, this is the first time scientists have discovered this trait in American crocodiles. This particular event appears to happen when a species faces a difficult condition. Often that condition is associated with environmental stress or the lack of mates.
In this case, the lack of male contact could have pushed the way that the crocodile gives birth to work without needing a male to help move things along. No matter the reasoning, it’s intriguing to see something like this happen, especially in a crocodile that has been alone for so long. The research on the discovery can be found published in the journalThese virgin-birthed crocodile eggs aren’t the last time that evolution will baffle or surprise us.
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