Enlarge / Two feminine Gila noticed whiptail lizards basking in daylight, Aspidoscelis flagellicauda. That is certainly one of a number of all-female species of whiptails that reproduce by way of parthenogenesis. (credit score: Wild Horizons/Common Pictures Group by way of Getty Pictures)
An Asian water dragon hatched from an egg on the Smithsonian Nationwide Zoo, and her keepers had been shocked. Why? Her mom had by no means been with a male water dragon. By way of genetic testing, zoo scientists found the newly hatched feminine, born on Aug. 24, 2016, had been produced via a reproductive mode referred to as parthenogenesis.
Parthenogenesis is a Greek phrase that means “virgin creation,” nevertheless it particularly refers to feminine asexual replica. Whereas many individuals might assume this habits is the area of science fiction or spiritual texts, parthenogenesis is surprisingly frequent all through the tree of life and is present in a wide range of organisms, together with crops, bugs, fish, reptiles and even birds. As a result of mammals, together with human beings, require sure genes to come back from sperm, mammals are incapable of parthenogenesis.
Creating offspring with out sperm
Sexual replica entails a feminine and a male, every contributing genetic materials within the type of eggs or sperm, to create a novel offspring. The overwhelming majority of animal species reproduce sexually, however females of some species are capable of produce eggs containing all of the genetic materials required for replica.
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