UK Zoo Shocked After Female Iguana Gives Birth Without a Male in Rare Phenomenon
I'm sure you keep tabs on the birthing habits of iguanas, so this may not be news to you, but a mother Iguana at a zoo in the United Kingdom recently gave birth to a fresh batch of eight baby iguanas.
Nothing crazy about that… until you realize that these baby iguanas were born without a father.
And not because he went out for scratcher and lung darts either.
Last month, the Exotic Zoo in Telford, England, announced the birth on Instagram and revealed the strange way it happened.
The mother casque-head iguana gave birth to fertilized eggs. That wouldn't have been too crazy, but this particular female iguana had never shared an enclosure with a male iguana.
Now, if you're a kid reading this and don't know why that's weird, go talk to your parents or go google it…
…Actually, scratch that; do not google. Talk to your parents. They can google it if they have to.
It turns out that this is a natural phenomenon — albeit an incredibly rare one — called parthenogenesis.
"These little lizards have no dad at all — they're being born through parthenogenesis," the zoo wrote on social media. "This means the babies are genetic clones of their mum — an amazing rare natural phenomenon that occurs in some reptiles, invertebrates and other animals."
Genetic clones, you say? That's wild.
The zoo's director, Scott Adams (not that one), said the staff was stunned when they realized what had happened.
"When we confirmed the eggs were fertile without any contact with a male, our jaws hit the floor. These babies are essentially mini-mum clones, and seeing them thrive is incredible. For us, it's a powerful reminder that life finds a way in the most unexpected circumstances," he said, per CBS News.
It really is incredible, and those iguanas are going to save a lot of money on Father's Day gifts in the years to come.