A particularly rare case of parthenogenesis was recorded by scientists at a zoo in Costa Rica, when a female crocodile that had been in captivity and without a partner for 16 years, gave birth to several eggs, one of which contained an embryo.
The phenomenon of so-called “parthenogenesis” has been identified in species of birds, fish and other reptiles, but never in crocodiles, with scientists suggesting that the trait may have been inherited from an evolutionary ancestor, so dinosaurs may also have been in position to reproduce themselves.
The egg was hatched by an 18-year-old female crocodile at Parque Reptilania in January 2018, but now the news has made the rounds on the internet and been reported by major news outlets.
As the BBC reports, the embryo inside was fully formed but was stillborn and thus did not hatch.
The crocodile that gave birth to the egg was acquired when it was two years old and kept away from other crocodiles for its entire life. Because of this, the park’s scientific team contacted an American team from Virginia Tech, which specialized in parthenogenesis.
Scientists analyzed the fetus and found that it was more than 99.9% genetically identical to its mother – confirming that it did not have a father.
Source: News247
A particularly rare case of parthenogenesis was recorded by scientists at a zoo in Costa Rica, when a female crocodile that had been in captivity and without a partner for 16 years, gave birth to several eggs, one of which contained an embryo.
The phenomenon of so-called “parthenogenesis” has been identified in species of birds, fish and other reptiles, but never in crocodiles, with scientists suggesting that the trait may have been inherited from an evolutionary ancestor, so dinosaurs may also have been in position to reproduce themselves.
The egg was hatched by an 18-year-old female crocodile at Parque Reptilania in January 2018, but now the news has made the rounds on the internet and been reported by major news outlets.
As the BBC reports, the embryo inside was fully formed but was stillborn and thus did not hatch.
The crocodile that gave birth to the egg was acquired when it was two years old and kept away from other crocodiles for its entire life. Because of this, the park’s scientific team contacted an American team from Virginia Tech, which specialized in parthenogenesis.
Scientists analyzed the fetus and found that it was more than 99.9% genetically identical to its mother – confirming that it did not have a father.
Source: News247
A particularly rare case of parthenogenesis was recorded by scientists at a zoo in Costa Rica, when a female crocodile that had been in captivity and without a partner for 16 years, gave birth to several eggs, one of which contained an embryo.
The phenomenon of so-called “parthenogenesis” has been identified in species of birds, fish and other reptiles, but never in crocodiles, with scientists suggesting that the trait may have been inherited from an evolutionary ancestor, so dinosaurs may also have been in position to reproduce themselves.
The egg was hatched by an 18-year-old female crocodile at Parque Reptilania in January 2018, but now the news has made the rounds on the internet and been reported by major news outlets.
As the BBC reports, the embryo inside was fully formed but was stillborn and thus did not hatch.
The crocodile that gave birth to the egg was acquired when it was two years old and kept away from other crocodiles for its entire life. Because of this, the park’s scientific team contacted an American team from Virginia Tech, which specialized in parthenogenesis.
Scientists analyzed the fetus and found that it was more than 99.9% genetically identical to its mother – confirming that it did not have a father.
Source: News247
