California condoms, an endangered species, can breed without mating, according to a study by conservation scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
During a routine analysis of biological samples from California condors in a zoo breeding program, scientists found that two condor chicks hatched in un fertilized eggs.
"We were very surprised, to be honest. We did not expect to find any of this," said Cynthia Steiner, deputy director of the federation's conservation research unit.
Steiner is also the co-author of a study published last week in the Journal of Heredity, the official publication of the American Genetic Association.
Scientists have confirmed that each condor chick was genetically related to its mother but no bird was genetically related to the male. The two birds represent the first two cases of asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, which should be confirmed in the California condor species, the zoo said.
"This is very rare because it is not very common in birds in general. It is therefore known to some species of reptiles, reptiles and fish, but in birds it is very rare, especially in wildlife," Steiner said.
Cynthia Steiner, deputy director of genetic conservation at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, poses for a photo at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, California, U.S., November 2, 2021. REUTERS / Mike Blake
California Condor Molloko appears in San Diego Zoo Safari Park after scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance discovered that two California chicks hatched in un fertilized eggs, Escondido, California, US, November 2, 2021. REUTERS / Mike Blake
California Condor Molloko appears in San Diego Zoo Safari Park after scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance discovered that two California chicks hatched in un fertilized eggs, Escondido, California, US, November 2, 2021. REUTERS / Mike Blake
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California Condor Molloko appears in San Diego Zoo Safari Park after scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance discovered that two California chicks hatched in un fertilized eggs, Escondido, California, US, November 2, 2021. REUTERS / Mike Blake
Steiner said the discovery was very surprising, as both hens lived with fertile hens and then produced chicks when paired with a male. Asexual reproduction has never been confirmed in any bird species where the female bird is able to find a mate.
"At some point they decided, for some reason, that they too were involved in asexual births," Steiner said.
Both chicks were underweight at the time of hatching, Steiner said. One was released from the wild and died at the age of two in 2003, while the other survived an eight-year incarceration and died in 2017.
The California condor is one of the rarest bird species in the world, but its numbers are growing. Steiner said there are now about 500 live condors, about 200 in captivity and 300 in the wild.
He hopes to continue learning about non-sex breeding in birds to see if it continues as there are more condors in the wild.
"We want to know how many times this situation could happen as the population grows instead of contracting as it did in the 1980s," he said.
Reported by Alan Devall; Edited by Karishma Singh and Ana Nicolaci da Costa