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Parthenogenesis – virgin birth – isn’t just a myth created for the movies. In Costa Rica, a solitary female crocodile laid a clutch of unfertilized eggs – one of which contained a fully developed fetus. DNA proved it was her offspring. But with no male partner in sight, how did this happen?

Asexual reproduction does exist in the animal kingdom. Snakes, birds, insects, and sharks have all been known to do it. But this is the first virgin croc birth ever recorded, and scientists are studying it for clues about the real-life Jurassic Park. How can parthenogenesis benefit a species? And did dinosaurs also reproduce this way?

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🔗 Sources
[1] "Discovery of facultative parthenogenesis in a new world crocodile",
Warren Booth et al [2023]: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do...

[2] "Virgin Birth" in Endangered Zebra Shark", Shed Aquarium [2022|: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/about-s... and https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shedd...

"Virgin births from parthenogenesis: How females from some species can reproduce without males": https://umbc.edu/stories/virgin-birth....

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