Snake Thought To Be Male Gives Birth To 14 Snakelets Despite Not Having Contact With Other Snakes for Nine Years
In a surprising turn of events, a snake previously believed to be male has given birth to 14 snakelets without any contact with a mate. The astonishing incident, reported by the BBC, took place at the City of Portsmouth College where a 13-year-old boa constrictor named Ronaldo stunned everyone by producing the tiny reptiles. Pete Quinlan, an animal care technician at the college, had cared for Ronaldo for the past nine years, always under the impression that Ronaldo was male. Quinlan confirmed that Ronaldo had not had any contact with a male snake during this time, making the birth of the snakelets even more extraordinary. This rare phenomenon, known as parthenogenesis, is a form of asexual reproduction where an egg can develop into an embryo without fertilization. Although common among invertebrates like insects, parthenogenesis is exceptionally rare among vertebrates. In fact, this occurrence has only been documented three times in Brazilian rainbow boa constri...
