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06-26-2024, 03:04 AM
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Boa Constrictor Alone for 9 Years Gave Birth to 14 Snakelets
A Boa Constrictor named Ronaldo, 13, and thought to be male, gave birth to 14 snakelets at the City of Portsmouth College without a mate. The birth was a result of parthenogenesis, a rare form of asexual reproduction where embryos develop without fertilization, explained by a reptile specialist. He believed Ronaldo was male until she gave birth and said that "she had not had contact with a male" snake in the nine years that he has had her. The process of virgin births is known as parthenogenesis and has only ever happened three times to a Brazilian rainbow boa constrictor. The baby snakes are effectively clones of their mother, though their markings vary slightly, offering students a unique learning opportunity. Many invertebrates, such as insects, can produce offspring asexually, without ever having mated. They usually do this by cloning themselves, producing genetically identical offspring. In February, a stingray in the US fell pregnant without having a mate. Among vertebrate animals, like snakes, it remains a novelty. |