Scientists have recorded the first known case of a 'virgin birth' in a female crocodile who had no contact with males for around 16 years. The reptile was able to produce a fully formed foetus that was 99.9% genetically identical to her.
The researchers said this discovery, reported in the journal Biology Letters, provides 'tantalising insights', suggesting its evolutionary ancestors such as the dinosaurs may also have been capable of self-reproduction.
Also known as facultative parthenogenesis, virgin birth has been documented in species of birds, fish lizards and snakes, but never before in crocodiles. It is the process by which an egg develops into an embryo without fertilisation by sperm.
