And other stories from the stranger side of life
The first virgin birth by a crocodile has been reported by a reptile park in Costa Rica. An 18-year-old crocodile laid an egg containing a fully formed foetus, despite having been housed alone for 16 years and never mating. The Royal Society, in its journal Biology Letters, said this is the first instance of “facultative parthenogenesis”, or virgin birth, seen in the species. An expert said he “strongly infers” that this means dinosaurs could also have virgin births.
