A boa constrictor in the UK gave birth to 14 babies – without a mate.
It’s a miracle? The result of a secret meeting? Probably not. Females of the species have the ability to reproduce asexually, without a male’s sperm. The process is called parthenogenesis, from the Greek words for “virgin” and “birth.”
Some plants and insects can do this, as can some amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish. A stingray called Charlotte who became pregnant using this method died this week at an aquarium in North Carolina, although she never gave birth and it is unclear whether she was ever pregnant.
Some wasps, crustaceans and lizards reproduce only by parthenogenesis. But in other species it is rare and usually only observed in captivity. Scientists have a good idea how this happens, although it’s not clear why it happens, according to Kady Lyons, a researcher at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
A female’s egg fuses with another cell, usually a cell left over from a process that allows the female to create the egg. This cell, known as the polar body, provides the egg with the genetic information it would normally get from the sperm. The cell begins to divide and this leads to the creation of an embryo.
The snake, a 13-year-old, 6-foot-9 Brazilian Rainbow Boa named Ronaldo, gave birth last week after having no contact with other snakes for at least nine yearsaccording to the City of Portsmouth College, which kept the snake.
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