A 13-year-old Brazilian rainbow python, named Ronaldo, stunned caregivers at Portsmouth City College when he gave birth to a whopping 14 cubs. The python, belonging to the Epicrates cenchria species, had not had contact with any others of his kind for nearly a decade before being rescued by an animal welfare organization.
Initially thought to be male by a vet, Ronaldo was discovered to be pregnant during a routine inspection by a student. The baby snakes are currently undergoing gender testing and will be relocated to a new enclosure once they are old enough. This miraculous birth is only the third recorded in the Brazilian rainbow python species.
Parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction in which an egg matures without fertilization and produces offspring that are clones of their mothers with slightly different characteristics, is rare but has been seen in various captive animals such as birds, sharks, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.
Experts are baffled by the mechanism that prompted Ronaldo’s parturition but are fascinated by this incredible event at Portsmouth City College. This virgin birth serves as a reminder of the complexity and wonders of nature and how much we still have to learn about our planet’s creatures.
