Reproduction without sex is more common than scientists thought
EconomistJun 01, 2023
A crocodile has produced eggs despite the lack of a male mate in a very rare reproductive strategy known as facultative parthenogenesis (FP). The discovery by scientists was published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters.
The first recorded instance of a "virgin birth" among crocodiles occurred at a Costa Rican zoo, where a fully formed fetus was found inside one of several eggs laid in 2018 by an 18-year-old female — it was 99.9% genetically identical to its mother.
This is a huge step forward for scientific discovery. Thanks to the research conducted in a Costa Rican zoo, more evidence has come to light for the commonality of FP across a broad range of species descended from dinosaurs. This development is an exciting moment for evolutionary biologists that could precipitate further documentation of the reproductive mechanism in reptiles such as turtles or chameleons.
Despite the orthodox perception of zoos as protecting and preserving exotic and under-threat species, the observation of FP in a crocodile kept in isolation for so many years demonstrates the stresses artificially confining animals can provoke. It's unnatural for animals to spend their lives in captivity, and this latest discovery should raise the question of whether these types of institutions should even exist.