• Azoo in Costa Rica recorded the first ever “virgin birth” by a crocodile who has lived in isolation for the past 16 years, according to a study published on Wednesday.
• In 2018, an 18-year-old female American crocodile laid 14 eggs during her captivity—something that is not uncommon among reptiles that are held in isolation. However, what was strange about the phenomenon was the fact that one egg contained a fully formed crocodile.
• Scientists, baffled at the occurrence, studied the stillborn baby crocodile and tested its genetic makeup. They found that its DNA sequence suggested that it was formed through facultative parthenogenesis (FP), according to the study published in the journal Biology Letters.

Tagged: Animals