A boa constrictor mother has given "virgin birth" to 22 female offspring, all of which have no father and are half-clones of their mother, according to new research.
The discovery adds boa constrictors to the list of animals that can give fatherless birth. The list so far includes other snakes, at least three species of sharks, the Komodo dragon and some other monitor lizards, certain termites, and more.
Researchers now even think some dinosaurs may have given virgin birth, since this phenomenon has now been reported in all lineages of jawed vertebrates, except mammals, and in a number of invertebrate species.
"Only with the development and application of molecular tools have we truly begun to understand how common this form of reproduction may be," lead author Warren Booth told Discovery News.
