Female Iguana Celebrated for Rare ‘Virgin Birth’ After Going No Contact with Male Iguanas

A female iguana successful nan U.K. earned world attraction aft a uncommon birthing arena near her pinch babies contempt having nary interaction pinch a antheral partner. 

In a social media station shared to Telford’s Exotic Zoo successful mid-August, nan wildlife parkland revealed that casquehead iguanas were hatching, earlier sharing why this clip was a spot much magical than immoderate commencement before. 

“Check retired nan pictures of them coming retired of their eggs complete nan past 24 hours,” nan statement wrote successful a Facebook post, adding, “And these babies are EXTRA special.”

According to Telford’s Exotic Zoo, nan babies were calved without a dada acknowledgment to a process called parthenogenesis.

“Fish, snakes, lizards, and moreover birds person each been observed to beryllium capable to reproduce without fertilization,” nan Smithsonian Ocean says of parthenogenesis. In Greek, it intends nan “virgin creation.”

The Exotic Zoo added that “the babies are familial clones of their mum.”

"This is 1 of nan rarest events successful nan animal kingdom," Scott Adams, nan zoo's director, said successful a connection shared pinch CBS News connected Tuesday, Sept. 9.

While parthenogenesis is simply a documented occurrence, Adams told nan outlet it caught nan zoo’s unit by surprise, pinch galore "thinking, what's going connected here?"

"When we confirmed nan eggs were fertile without immoderate interaction pinch a male, our jaws deed nan floor. These babies are fundamentally mini-mum clones, and seeing them thrive is incredible. For us, it's a powerful reminder that life finds a measurement successful nan astir unexpected circumstances," Adams said.

USA Today reported that 8 casquehead iguanas were calved from nan group of eggs laid.

The babies are not connected nationalist show yet, nan outlet reports. Instead, they are being kept successful a specially designed enclosure astatine nan zoo's master reptile nursery, wherever unit show nan somesthesia and humidity levels.

Photos posted to nan Exotic Zoo’s Facebook relationship showed their caput keeper, Ryan, smiling outdoors arsenic he held 1 of nan casquehead iguanas.

The Eastern casquehead iguana type is from Mexico and Central America. The iguanas are known for their unique casque (helmet-like crest) and long, bladed limbs.

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They unrecorded successful trees and provender connected insects and get h2o from drops connected leaves. Females are known to reproduce asexually. 

"This communicative gives america an astonishing opportunity to talk pinch our visitors astir genetics, evolution, and nan challenges that reptiles look successful nan wild," Adams told CBS News. "It’s not conscionable exciting, it’s important for subject and conservation acquisition too."

Adams besides said each of nan hatchlings are females, jokingly telling nan BBC that “they each speak astatine precisely nan aforesaid time."