Lizards at a Czech zoo produce offspring without a male

Three baby Julia's basilisks — a rare lizard species capable of so-called parthenogenesis, meaning females can produce offspring without a male — have hatched at Zoo Zájezd. The news was confirmed by zoo spokesman Daniel Koleška.

The species originates from Honduras and was only formally described by scientists in 2018. Just four zoos in Europe currently keep Julia's basilisks. The facility's incubator holds several more eggs of the species, but the three hatchlings were actually found directly in the exhibit. They are now being cared for in the zoo's off-display facilities, while the adult basilisks remain on view in the "Tropical Greenhouse" exhibit.

A success repeated after colleagues in Pilsen

According to zoo curator Jiří Marek Jr., parthenogenetic reproduction has already been recorded at the Aqua Tera aquarium in Pilsen, where six eggs produced six females. The adult animals used for breeding at Zoo Zájezd were in fact brought over from Pilsen, continuing the Czech Republic's run of success in keeping this species.

Basilisk reproduction doesn't necessarily require mating — females can form eggs on their own, and these eggs hatch exclusively into females. The species is being studied by researchers at the Faculty of Science of Charles University. Scientists are also interested in the evolutionary implications: asexual reproduction is linked in the long run to limited genetic diversity, which could affect the population's survival prospects.

Source: ekolist.cz