Iguana’s “virgin birth” hailed by zookeepers as “one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom”

An iguana at a zoo in the United Kingdom has given birth despite never having mated with a male, according to staff at the facility, who have hailed the “virgin birth” as “one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom.”

Keepers at the Exotic Zoo in Telford, in central England, say the female casque-headed iguana was able to give birth to eight healthy hatchlings in the last week of August because of a natural reproductive phenomenon called parthenogenesis, which allows unfertilized eggs to grow into embryos that become genetic clones of the mother.

“This is one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom,” Scott Adams, the zoo’s director, said in a statement shared with CBS News.

Finding eggs in the mother’s enclosure was “unusual but exciting at the same time,” he said, adding that it had staff “thinking, what’s going on here?”

“When we confirmed the eggs were fertile without any contact with a male, our jaws hit the floor. These babies are essentially mini-mum clones, and seeing them thrive is incredible. For us, it’s a powerful reminder that life finds a way in the most unexpected circumstances,” Adams said.

The hatchlings are currently living in the zoo’s climate and humidity-controlled reptile nursery, and should go on show to the public in the next few weeks.

“This story gives us an amazing opportunity to talk with our visitors about genetics, evolution, and the challenges that reptiles face in the wild,” said Scott. “It’s not just exciting, it’s important for science and conservation education too.”

Casque-headed iguanas, which are native to Central and South America, face habitat loss and illegal poaching by people who can sell them as pets.

Parthenogenesis has only been documented in a handful of reptile species worldwide. It has also been seen in other types of animals, including a female epaulette shark that gave birth to a pup at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois in 2023.