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Hydras are small, freshwater organisms that are native to temperate and tropical climates. They develop buds on their cylindrical bodies that eventually elongate, develop tentacles, and pinch off to become new individuals.
Typically found in shallow bodies of water such as ponds and lakes, water fleas are microscopic zooplankton organisms. Known to produce asexually, when a population is threatened by conditions such as food shortages or heat waves, they also mate and lay eggs that can remain dormant for dozens of years.
These eggs contain fertilized embryos that are genetically varied, unlike the offspring produced asexually which are identical to the parent.
Polyps can reproduce asexually by budding, while medusae spawn eggs and sperm to reproduce sexually.
Throughout their lifecycle, jellyfish take on two different body forms: medusa and polyps.
Zoologists believe that hydras first developed about 200 million years ago in Pangea. This means they've been around since the dinosaurs.
Sources: (BBC) (CNN) (National Geographic) (Treehugger)
See also: Animals with misleading names
A tiny bug that feeds off plant sap, aphids are literally born pregnant. They develop embryos within the mother's ovary one after another, with those developed embryos containing more embryos.
Aphids can replace their asexual reproductive habits with sexual reproduction during certain times of the year, most notably during autumn in colder regions.
Some ants have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.
In the case of common black carpenter ants, fertilized eggs will become female workers, while unfertilized eggs become males.
Some populations of wasps produce only females from unfertilized eggs, essentially laying eggs fertilized by their own personal DNA.
Wasps reproduce both sexually and asexually. In those that reproduce sexually, females are born from a fertilized egg while males come from unfertilized eggs.
A species of freshwater fish native to Mexico and Texas, Amazon molly fish are all female. This would normally put a species in danger of extinction due to gene loss. However, asexual reproduction has worked out greatly in the favor of this fish.
A 2018 study compared the genome of the Amazon molly to that of two similar species, only to find that the mollies were not only surviving, but thriving. It was found that the molly genome had high levels of diversity and showed no widespread signs of genomic decay, despite being entirely female.
It wasn't until 2018 that scientists sequenced the DNA of marbled crayfish, both from the German aquarium and wild individuals caught in Madagascar. They were able to confirm that all the crayfish were indeed clones, descended from a single organism through the parthenogenesis method of asexual reproduction.
In 1995, a German aquarium owner found a previously undiscovered species of crayfish that appeared to have cloned itself. The offspring were all females, suggesting that this new crayfish could be the only decapod crustacean (which includes crabs, lobsters, and shrimp) with the ability to reproduce asexually.
An 11-year-old python named Thelma, who lived with another female snake (appropriately named Louise), produced a clutch of 61 eggs despite having had no exposure to a male in two years.
Some lizards, like the New Mexico whiptail, are unique in that they can reproduce asexually but still maintain DNA changes from generation to generation.
In 2011, researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City found that, while it is not uncommon for asexual reptiles to develop eggs into embryos without fertilization, the female whiptail's cells gained twice the usual number of chromosomes during the process. This means that whiptail eggs get the same number of chromosomes as those of lizards that reproduce sexually.
The first "virgin birth" by a Burmese python, the world’s longest snake, was recorded in 2012 at the Louisville Zoological Gardens in Kentucky.
Starfish have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually, but with a twist. Asexual reproduction in some starfish is achieved through fission, meaning they split in two and produce two complete organisms.
A Komodo dragon, who had never had contact with a male in her life, laid 11 eggs that tested for her DNA only.
In some cases, starfish will voluntarily break off one of their arms and then regenerate the missing piece while the broken part grows into a whole other starfish.
Komodo dragons weren't thought to have the ability to reproduce asexually until 2006, at England's Chester Zoo.
The first recorded evidence of parthenogenesis in a cartilaginous fish (which includes sharks, rays, and skates) occurred in 2001. The wild-caught hammerhead shark hadn't been exposed to a male in at least three years.
In February 2024, a stingray called Charlotte in Hendersonville, North Carolina, became pregnant, despite not sharing her tank with a male for at least eight years.
In 2017, a zebra shark named Leonie in Australia gave birth to three baby sharks after being separated from her mate for five years. Genetic testing of tissue samples from the mother shark, the male shark, and the offspring showed that the babies only carried DNA from Leonie.
The news stirred some online speculation that Charlotte could be pregnant by a shark, but according to experts, the pregnancy is likely due to parthenogenesis. This would make Charlotte the first known stingray to reproduce this way.
The vast majority of animals need to breed to reproduce, but a small number of species can have offspring without mating. The process is known as parthenogenesis, which is Greek for "virgin birth." It's a form of asexual reproduction in which the production of offspring occurs in the absence of any male genetic contribution. Females produce unfertilized eggs that will develop into viable embryos.
While many people may be shocked by this behavior, parthenogenesis is surprisingly common with various organisms, including plants, insects, fish, and reptiles. Because mammals, including human beings, require certain genes that come from sperm, mammals are incapable of parthenogenesis.
Click on to discover the animals that can produce offspring all by themselves.
These animals can produce a baby without mating
Animals that don't need a partner to get pregnant
LIFESTYLE Nature
The vast majority of animals need to breed to reproduce, but a small number of species can have offspring without mating. The process is known as parthenogenesis, which is Greek for "virgin birth." It's a form of asexual reproduction in which the production of offspring occurs in the absence of any male genetic contribution. Females produce unfertilized eggs that will develop into viable embryos.
While many people may be shocked by this behavior, parthenogenesis is surprisingly common with various organisms, including plants, insects, fish, and reptiles. Because mammals, including human beings, require certain genes that come from sperm, mammals are incapable of parthenogenesis.
Click on to discover the animals that can produce offspring all by themselves.