Missouri Department of Conservation researchers have been carefully studying the snake and believe that she is the first in her species that gave “virgin birth” to her offspring.
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There’s no definite answer yet about whether the Missouri water snake’s babies can reproduce. Last time, it was in 2014, when the snake gave birth without any interaction with opposite sex.
Researchers believe that since the snake is in her prime breeding age, but lacks access to a male, her body has reacted as part of a reproductive survival technique. “In layman’s term, parthenogenesis is a mode of asexual reproduction in which the offspring (babies) are produced by females without genetic contribution of a male”.
The yellow-bellied water snake is giving the Virgin Mary a run for her money.
At Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center in Missouri, it might just have happened for the second time around in the yellow-bellied watersnake. It’s more likely the process of parthenogenesis causing these births.
An intern working at the center, Kyle Morton, tends to the snakes and was taken by surprise when he found the freshly laid eggs in the mother’s cage. Watersnake could be going through virgin births due to the absence of a male snake around for a long time.
According to herpetologist, Jeff Briggler, this is an incredibly rare occurrence even in other kinds of snakes, such as copperheads, cottonmouths and Burmese pythons, and more common among insects, amphibians, fish or reptiles, but not mammals.
Unfortunately, the offspring from this spermless birth did not survive, sources said.
“I went to clean her enclosure and I noticed something out of the ordinary”, said Jordi Brostoski of the experience a year ago .
“Long-term storage is unusual”.
“This is the way you make discoveries when you keep things in captivity”.
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Furthermore, conservation department outreach and education regional supervisor A.J. Hendershott comments there was definitely some pride in having been a part the first snake of its species reproducing through parthenogenesis. However, none of them have been capable of have the similar capacity as their mom.
