Researchers have uncovered surprising research in which, for the first time, a virgin female crocodile became pregnant, without a male crocodile. The fetus produced was genetically identical to the female crocodile itself. Warren Booth, an evolutionary biologist at Virginia Tech, along with his team presented this finding. The findings were published in a journal published by the Royal Society, called Biology Letters.
In 2018, 14 eggs were found in the enclosure of a female in Costa Rica with the Reptilandia Park. Since he was 2 years old, the crocodile has been completely isolated. However, it is surprising to see that she was still able to lay a clutch of 18 eggs.
The researchers said: “Given the period of isolation of couples, these would normally be considered non-viable and discarded.” However, officials collected seven eggs that appeared viable and kept them inside an incubator.
Booth also said that several signs can indicate that one of the eggs may actually be viable. The man clarified that “viable eggs are usually bright white, while infertile ones can be more yellowish.” He further said that “when exposed to a flashlight, viable crocodile eggs will have a distinctive band, while non-viable ones will simply glow yellow.”
Costa Rican officials contacted American experts specializing in parthenogenesis for consultations. The term parthenogenesis is derived from two Greek terms, “Parthenos” and “genesis,” which mean “Virgin” and “Origin” respectively, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Booth and Gordon Schuett (co-author) of Georgia State University had published many of their papers on the topic. These two have published so many articles on the topic that they became the “go-to people” for questions about the concept.
Wondering if virgin births are rare? Well, they were once considered rare, but those who study the subject well know that there have been many incidents of such virgin births coming from a large number of other species that are documented. These species include snakes, sharks, sawfish, birds, and more. The virgin birth process is actually more common in the insect and plant world than any other organism, where the female organism is able to replicate without any fertilization from a male counterpart.
In 2021, a study indicated that virgin births are also possible in California condors. Researchers working with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said genetic testing showed that two male chicks that hatched in 2001 and 2009 from unfertilized eggs were related to the mother. None of them were related to a man. In 2019, an anaconda, which was housed with two females, gave birth to babies. DNA tests showed that small anacondas reproduced through parthenogenesis.
Speaking of the Costa Rican crocodile, three months later the workers went to look for the eggs, but none of them hatched. Only one of the eggs had a fully formed but non-viable fetus. DNA testing later showed that the fetus was actually 99.9% genetically identical to the mother crocodile.
According to researchers, virgin births could take place in crocodiles without anyone noticing. The study wrote that “these findings therefore suggest that the potential viability of eggs should be assessed when males are absent.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn