Some animals can have babies without ever mating. Scientists call it parthenogenesis (par-thuh-no-JEN-uh-sis), from Greek words meaning "virgin birth." It is common in insects and some plants, but very rare in animals with backbones: less than one percent of species. So far it has been found in at least eight lizard families and four snake families. In some species, every animal does it. In others, it happens only now and then. Both. A baby made without mating is basically a copy of its mother, so a whole population of copies has very little variety. If the environment changes, they might all be in trouble together.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
