Rare Event in Animal Kingdom

A lizard in a British zoo was born in one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom without a pairing. A female Casque-Iguan-Iguaner produced eight healthy young animals in the exotic zoo in Telford, Shropshire, without ever being accommodated with a man.

The Births

The babies receive "care around the clock" and will be issued publicly in the coming weeks. The "virgin births" were due to parthenogenesis when an embryo developed from an unmeated egg – a process that the zoo said that it had been documented in "only a handful of reptile species worldwide". The descendants are identical genetic clones of their mother.

Reaction from the Zoo

The director of the zoo told that the event showed the "self -preservation" of nature and that everything was "shock and surprise". He added: "It was a cool experience for us. It is as if nature would do it for itself. This is one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom. When we confirmed that the eggs were fertile without contact with a man, our jaws rose to the floor. These babies are essentially mini-mum clones, and it is incredible to see them thrive. For us it is a strong memory that life finds a way under the most unexpected circumstances. They produced babies without men, so it’s self -preservation."

Care and Future of the Babies

The staff "noticed for the first time that something was happening" when the lizard grew. The babies will get care around the clock, but they will eventually go to other zoos.

Species Information

Leguane with Casquekopf are located in Central and South America and are in the wild. This includes habitat loss and illegal poaches for pet trade. "This story gives us an astonishing opportunity to talk to our visitors about genetics, evolution and the challenges that reptiles stand in the wild," said the director.