Python has virgin birth at Kentucky zoo
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Friday, October 24, 2014 12:30 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 24, 2014 12:34 PM EDT
It's the Virgin Mary of snakes.
A reticulated python named Thelma in a zoo in Louisville, Ky., gave birth to six snakes, but never had any contact with a male snake.
"Staff along with researchers from the University of Tulsa have discovered that the world's largest snake is capable of virgin birth also known as parthenogenesis in this first ever documented case," the Louisville Zoo said on its Facebook page Thursday.
The 20-ft, 200-lb. Thelma actually popped out 61 eggs two years ago, but it took researchers until now to fully study the genetics of the six surviving offspring and discover the six babies were part clones of their mother.
"It is a very exciting thing to be able to witness something like that first hand," curator of ectotherms Bill McMahan said in a press release. "Especially something that has never been documented before in this species."
A reticulated python named Thelma, which resides at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, laid 61 eggs two years ago. Despite never having interacted with a male snake, six of the eggs bore offspring. Researchers said this is the first documented case of virgin birth, also known as parthenogenesis, in reticulated pythons. (Photo: Louisville Zoo/Handout/QMI Agency)
Python has virgin birth at Kentucky zoo | Weird | News | Toronto Sun
oh for christ snake.
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Friday, October 24, 2014 12:30 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 24, 2014 12:34 PM EDT
It's the Virgin Mary of snakes.
A reticulated python named Thelma in a zoo in Louisville, Ky., gave birth to six snakes, but never had any contact with a male snake.
"Staff along with researchers from the University of Tulsa have discovered that the world's largest snake is capable of virgin birth also known as parthenogenesis in this first ever documented case," the Louisville Zoo said on its Facebook page Thursday.
The 20-ft, 200-lb. Thelma actually popped out 61 eggs two years ago, but it took researchers until now to fully study the genetics of the six surviving offspring and discover the six babies were part clones of their mother.
"It is a very exciting thing to be able to witness something like that first hand," curator of ectotherms Bill McMahan said in a press release. "Especially something that has never been documented before in this species."
A reticulated python named Thelma, which resides at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, laid 61 eggs two years ago. Despite never having interacted with a male snake, six of the eggs bore offspring. Researchers said this is the first documented case of virgin birth, also known as parthenogenesis, in reticulated pythons. (Photo: Louisville Zoo/Handout/QMI Agency)
Python has virgin birth at Kentucky zoo | Weird | News | Toronto Sun
oh for christ snake.
