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
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.
21
Jun 9, 2019 10:04AM
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
15
Jun 3, 2019 4:26PM
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?
11
May 18, 2019 10:01PM
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!
5
Jul 7, 2017 9:28AM
Jacqueline Tattam
This should not have passed review- parthenogenesis is not cloning!
5
Jun 14, 2019 11:20PM
Ken Jackson
Even the source quoted says that it's not cloning...
5
Jun 23, 2019 7:17AM
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
0
Jul 22, 2019 5:52PM
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.
0
Jul 21, 2019 10:46PM
Darrin Jontz Potter
Completely false, I'm an amateur herpetologist (at best) and I know this is false
0
Jul 19, 2019 9:08PM
Fred Zeb Fudpucker
YEAH, what they said! Author: bad source or bad interpretation.
0
Jul 18, 2019 1:22PM
Carl Colomb
you need to correct this question, and be better reserched
1
Jul 18, 2019 1:11PM
Carl Colomb
the do not, i repeat they do not clone
0
Jul 18, 2019 1:10PM
Elsa van der Merwe
Not cloning!
0
Jul 15, 2019 1:33AM
Fred Keogh
This is NOT cloning!
2
Jul 11, 2019 2:38AM
Joseph A. Robitaille
I don't understand the question or answer
0
Jul 8, 2019 6:47PM
Barry Crews
The anti-male brigade will be all atwatter[ssic] with this information and working on how to do it to themselves to get rid of the hated men...
0
Jul 5, 2019 3:22AM
Steve Heady
Who let this question through? Cloning is a completely different process. This kind of false information should not be propagated on this forum.
4
Jul 1, 2019 2:19PM
Stevie G
How did this question get passed ….
4
Jun 25, 2019 4:19AM
Rob Farr
An amazing fact ... but Anne is correct ... it’s not literal cloning ... still, it’s great trivia ... thanks.
2
Jun 20, 2019 8:54AM
dick aspel
Well, not strictly true and, at the very least should state "can"...
1
Jun 16, 2019 6:58PM
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