Parthenogenesis in Leopard Geckos?

[fuzzylogix]

I know the word can be thrown around flippantly, but has there ever been a documented case of a parthenogenetic leopard gecko? the reason for bringing this up is that we have a virgin female mack snow that just laid what looks like a fertile egg. she is fairly young, and only about 35 grams and has NEVER been paired up with a male. i was surprised to see the egg in her tub, but figured it was just an infertile. on a whim i candled it and i'm seeing what looks to be a fertile egg. she only laid one egg, and i cannot see another egg through the skin. Lori's first thought was to just toss it, but i'm going to incubate and see what happens. any thoughts or ideas on this?

 

[leoguy1]

That is realy COOL! That is defenantly not normal because geckos lay two eggs in one clutch.

 

[fuzzylogix]

i've had females lay only one egg before, but never this young and it was always a dud. this one has me intrigued

 

[leoguy1]

Same here!

 

[Theinfidel]

Nothing to fertilize the egg dude...

 

[fuzzylogix]

Nothing to fertilize the egg dude...

look up the definition of parthenogenesis

 

[doodlebug86]

that would be super cool. it happens in some types of reptiles, even ones that are known to reproduce through mating... so its possible.
keep us updated

 

[snared99]

Did you hatch this particular gecko?

 

[fuzzylogix]

Did you hatch this particular gecko?

We got the mack snow who laid the egg late last year as a hatchling from Tony C.

 

[JordanAng420]

Did you hatch this particular gecko?

Wondering the same thing....

This gecko has never, EVER been in a container (even for 5 minutes) with a male?

If what you're saying is true, that would be insane...make sure you document, document, document!!! Anything is possible :main_thumbsup:

To be honest, I wouldn't be suprised if leopard geckos were found to be capable of parthenogenesis.

 

[UnicornSpirit]

The next Jesus of the leopard gecko kingdom!

 

[fuzzylogix]

lol...

and no, she's never been with another gecko period. she would be way to small to even think about breeding anyway. i will keep updating this as it goes, but so far the egg is still turgid and resting in it's own cup in the incubator.

 

[leoguy1]

If it does look exactly like it's mom, it's a definent result of parthenogenesis. Keep us updated on the egg. When he/she hatches, post some pics!

 

[Adinar]

The next Jesus of the leopard gecko kingdom!

Haha! He came back, just in gecko form.

 

[fuzzylogix]

if it does hatch, i will have to end up getting DNA testing to prove it. i'm keeping a close eye on this one.

 

[geckoboa]

Most likely an infertile egg but it could be a case of parthenogenesis. They have just proved this is possible with boa constrictors. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39988135/?GT1=43001&ref=nf
Looking forward to your update.

 

[Thorgecko707]

It would make a lot of sense if they started doing this. Think about the life of a gecko. They are spending long amounts of time outside of a colony situation. Leopard geckos are highly colony animals in the middle east. In the wild there can be close to fifty females with a few males. Many other species have been known to produce offspring from a single parent when kept in solitude. Document everything. Maybe they are evolving before our eyes.

 

[fuzzylogix]

well the egg looks to have veins and is red, but its starting to cave in and not looking so good. i will update more as this goes along.

 

[Quantumhigh]

egg status please still caving? This is interesting!

 

[leoguy1]

I hope it survives!