Scientists record "immaculate conception" in a female crocodile for the first time

A same-sex conception was recorded for the first time in a Costa Rican zoo. It turned out that crocodiles are capable of parthenogenesis.

According to the journal Biology Letters, an 18-year-old female crocodile that had not had contact with males of her species for more than 16 years laid eggs.

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It is noted that usually during parthenogenesis, reptiles lay sterile eggs that do not contain embryos. But this time, 7 out of 14 eggs were fertilized.

The biologists studied the embryos and confirmed that they indeed consisted exclusively of the mother's genetic material. However, the eggs did not hatch, but this is a normal practice in "innocent reproduction," the study notes.

The scientists added that this case of "immaculate conception" in a crocodile was a surprise. Scientists do not rule out that this could have happened among dinosaurs, their prehistoric ancestors.

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Earlier, scientists from India recorded the first hybrids between a gray wolf and a dog in the country.

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