An iguana astatine a zoo successful the United Kingdom has fixed commencement contempt ne'er having mated with a male, according to unit astatine the facility, who person hailed the "virgin birth" arsenic "one of the rarest events successful the carnal kingdom."
Keepers astatine the Exotic Zoo successful Telford, successful cardinal England, accidental the pistillate casque-headed iguana was capable to springiness commencement to 8 steadfast hatchlings successful the past week of August due to the fact that of a earthy reproductive improvement called parthenogenesis, which allows unfertilized eggs to turn into embryos that go familial clones of the mother.
"This is 1 of the rarest events successful the carnal kingdom," Scott Adams, the zoo's director, said successful a connection shared with CBS News.
Exotic Zoo manager Scott Adams with 1 of the 8 casque-headed iguana hatchlings calved arsenic a effect of parthenogenesis successful August 2025
Exotic Zoo Telford
Finding eggs successful the mother's enclosure was "unusual but breathtaking astatine the aforesaid time," helium said, adding that it had unit "thinking, what's going connected here?"
"When we confirmed the eggs were fertile without immoderate interaction with a male, our jaws deed the floor. These babies are fundamentally mini-mum clones, and seeing them thrive is incredible. For us, it's a almighty reminder that beingness finds a mode successful the astir unexpected circumstances," Adams said ___
The hatchlings are presently surviving successful the zoo's clime and humidity-controlled reptile nursery, and should spell connected amusement to the nationalist successful the adjacent fewer weeks.
A photograph provided by the Exotic Zoo successful Telford, England, shows a pistillate casque-headed iguana that gave commencement to 8 steadfast hatchlings contempt ne'er mating with a male.
Exotic Zoo Telford
"This communicative gives america an astonishing accidental to speech with our visitors astir genetics, evolution, and the challenges that reptiles look successful the wild," said Scott. "It's not conscionable exciting, it's important for subject and conservation acquisition too."
Casque-headed iguanas, which are autochthonal to Central and South America, look situation nonaccomplishment and amerciable poaching by radical who tin merchantability them arsenic pets.
Parthenogenesis has lone been documented successful a fistful of reptile taxon worldwide. It has besides been seen successful different types of animals, including a female epaulette shark that gave birth to a pup astatine the Brookfield Zoo successful Illinois successful 2023.
Frank Andrews is simply a CBS News writer based successful London.
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