A lizard at a UK zoo has given birth without mating in what has been described as “one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom”.
A female casque-headed iguana produced eight healthy hatchlings at Exotic Zoo in Telford, Shropshire, without ever being housed with a male.
The babies are receiving “round-the-clock care” and are expected to go on public display in the coming weeks.
The “virgin births” were due to parthenogenesis, when an embryo develops from an unfertilised egg – a process which the zoo said had been documented in “only a handful of reptile species worldwide”.
The offspring are identical genetic clones of their mother.
The zoo’s director, Scott Adams, told Sky News the event showed nature’s “self-conservation” and it had all come as a “shock and surprise”.
The moment one of the eggs hatched. Pic: Exotic Zoo
He added: “It’s been a cool experience for us. This is like nature doing it for itself.
“This is one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom.
“When we confirmed the eggs were fertile without any contact with a male, our jaws hit the floor.
“These babies are essentially mini-mum clones, and seeing them thrive is incredible.
“For us, it’s a powerful reminder that life finds a way in the most unexpected circumstances.
“They have produced babies without males, so it’s self-conservation.”
Mr Adams said staff first “noticed something happening” when the lizard got bigger.
“The babies will receive round-the-clock care, but they will eventually go off to other zoos,” he added.
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Casque-headed iguanas are native to Central and South America and are facing a number of threats in the wild, the zoo said.
These include habitat loss and illegal poaching for the pet trade.
“This story gives us an amazing opportunity to talk with our visitors about genetics, evolution, and the challenges that reptiles face in the wild,” said Mr Adams.
