Is it true that pit vipers and boa constrictors clone themselves?

It's an interesting biological phenomenon that some female snake species can reproduce without males. These animals give birth via parthenogenesis. Snakes lay unfertilized eggs and somehow these eggs develop to maturity. Besides cloning, there are also some recorded cases of reproduction of rare hermaphrodite snake species.

More Info: www.livescience.com

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

33 Comments

Anne Patrick

Parthenogenesis is not cloning. The two occur by different mechanisms such that the offspring in parthenogenesis have only maternal DNA but it is not identical, as it would be in a clone.

Dirk A Schnarr

This is absolutely FALSE. In the below cited web address, it clearly states the young are NOT CLONES! https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.livescience.com/23103-virgin-births-common-wild-snakes.html

Steve Braccini

I'm shocked to find the cited reference clearly states that your suggested answer is incorrect. It literally reads that the offspring are NOT clones! Did you not read your own material?

Randall Robertson

Cloning, here is used incorrectly. Parthenogenesis has been observed in only two species of pit viper, copperhead, and water moccasin. Probably the same for different species of boas. To indicate all pits and boas replicate this way is ludacrous. It is clear that the author of this question does not have clear insight on herpatology nor reproductive biology. If "virgin birth" reproduction were clones, then the offspring would have identical genetic make up of the mother, which they do not. I read the same source from Live Science that the question came from. The paper says clearly that parthenogenesis is NOT the same as cloning!

Jacqueline Tattam

This should not have passed review- parthenogenesis is not cloning!

Ken Jackson

Even the source quoted says that it's not cloning...

Jerry Myers

"However, these offspring weren't clones of the mother since they were not made using identical halves of her genome." Wrong answer.. they were virgin births... but not clones. https://www.livescience.com/23103-virgin-births-common-wild-snakes.html

Cheryl Dunn

Researchers discovered virgin birth in pit vipers in the wild, suggesting ... and turkeys; and in snakes such as pit vipers and boa constrictors. ... However, these offspring weren't clones of the mother.