VIRGIN CROCODILE GIVES BIRTH WHILE LIVING IN ISOLATION

A female crocodile has given birth to 14 eggs while she was in isolation in her enclosure.

The crocodile had been living in isolation for 16 years at a zoo in Costa Rica at the time of the birth.

The recently released study showed that the crocodile had no contact with males during her time in isolation.

Researchers have said that it’s not uncommon for reptiles in captivity to lay clutches of eggs while in isolation, but it’s the first case where all the eggs weren’t considered non-viable. Usually, eggs that are born in such circumstances are usually considered non-viable and discarded.

But this time, one of the eggs was found to contain a fully formed stillborn baby crocodile. The research paper featured a photo of the mother and the fully-formed stillborn foetus. Tests were later conducted and determined that the stillborn foetus was female.

Al Jazeera reports that according to the study published in the journal Biology Letters on Wednesday, scientists tested the crocodile foetus’s genetic makeup. They found DNA sequences showing it was a result of facultative parthenogenesis (FP) or reproduction without the genetic contribution of males.

Image credit: Reuters