A groundbreaking discovery has been made in Costa Rica, marking the first known incident of a crocodile self-fertilizing. The creature generated a fetus that shared a staggering 99.9% genetic match to its own DNA.
The phenomenon, known as "parthenogenesis" or "virgin birth," has been recorded among birds, fish, and some reptiles, but it's the first time it's been observed within the crocodile species.
The study, published in the Biology Letters journal by the Royal Society, hints that the trait might be passed down from an evolutionary predecessor. This implies the possibility that dinosaurs might have also had the capability of self-fertilization.
The egg was laid by an 18-year-old American crocodile living in Parque Reptilania in early 2018. While the fetus inside was fully developed, it was unfortunately stillborn, leading to no hatching.
Having been isolated from other crocodiles since it was two years old, the crocodile's reproduction caught the attention of the park's scientific team. This led them to collaborate with Dr. Warren Booth, a scientist based in Virginia Tech, USA, known for his extensive study on parthenogenesis over the past decade.
Dr. Booth conducted an analysis of the fetus, which revealed its genetic near-identicality to the mother, effectively concluding that there was no paternal involvement.
While Dr. Booth was not taken aback by the finding, he reasoned that such occurrences have not been reported in crocodiles due to a lack of research into the species' reproduction.
One theory about parthenogenesis suggests that it's a mechanism that gets activated when a species' population is on the brink of extinction. Dr. Booth suggests that this might have happened to certain dinosaur species facing population decline due to environmental shifts.
Considering the identical method of parthenogenesis across numerous species, it's likely an ancient attribute that has been passed down through generations. This evidence further strengthens the possibility of dinosaurs reproducing in the same manner.