Crocodiles were capable of "immaculate conception"
Miscellaneous / / June 07, 2023
Most likely, many dinosaurs, their ancient ancestors, could breed without males.
Crocodiles have joined the list of species that are capable of parthenogenesis, which means same-sex conception. One such case was recorded at the zoo in Costa Rica. Study this was published in the journal Biology Letters.
In the case described by scientists, an 18-year-old female sharp-snouted crocodile, who had not been in contact with males of her species for more than 16 years, made a clutch in 2018. As a rule, in such cases, reptiles lay sterile eggs that do not contain embryos. But this time, 7 out of 14 were fertilized.
Biologists have studied the fetuses and confirmed that they do indeed consist solely of the mother's genetic material. True, the eggs never hatched, but this is normal practice in "virgin breeding," the study notes.
Outwardly healthy parthenogens are born in boas and pythons. With venomous snakes such as cobras, we see a different picture - most of them are either dead or deformed. The situation is similar in different species of sharks and birds, which are also able to reproduce through parthenogenesis.
Warren Booth
Biologist at Virginia Tech (USA)
This case of "immaculate conception" in a crocodile came as a surprise to biologists. Now they do not exclude that this could also occur among dinosaurs - their prehistoric ancestors.
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