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Parthenogenesis
(Partheno-genesis from the Greek words for "virgin" & "birth") is the growth and development of an embryo or seed without fertilization by a male. Parthenogenesis occurs naturally in some lower plants (called agamospermy),
invertebrates (e.g. water fleas, aphids) and some vertebrates (e.g. lizards, salamanders, some fish, and even turkeys). Parthenogenetic populations are typically all-female. Parthenogenesis is a particular form of asexual reproduction in which females produce eggs that develop without fertilization. Among vertebrates, there are several genera of fish, amphibians, and reptiles that exhibit various forms of asexual reproduction, including true parthenogenesis, gynogenesis, and hybridogenesis, an incomplete form of parthenogenesis.
To date, parthenogenesis has been observed in only a few snakes in the Family Boidae. A case of Burmese Python parthenogenesis was observed in the live collection of Artis Zoo in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. They have demonstrated that P. m. bivittatus is able to reproduce asexually in captivity. The mode of parthenogenesis in this species, as opposed to reported facultative parthenogenetic snake species, is particularly elegant since offspring are clones of their mother and no genetic variation is lost.
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