by Cilissa

Created on: March 25, 2008

There are many ways reptiles reproduce. Weather you've seen their young in the wild or captivity. You may have never heard of some of the interesting facts gathered here. Check this out:

There are three very different ways they are made.

Virgin Geckos
In the Pacific Islands there have been reports of Asexual Geckos. That means they never have sex to give birth to young. These female geckos are often born sterile or born with the same genes of the mother so thus they are also female and the cycle repeats. It is assumed that two species of sexual geckos can produce a new species of an asexual hybrid. The new hybrid will carry 44 chromosomes in al their body cells. Twenty-two from both parents donated. So obviously the egg can grow into a hatchling without first being fertilized by sperm. The name of the most popular hybrid is Lepidodactylus luguhris, what a mouthful.

Geckos are not the only lizard found to be parthenogenic. In New Mexico there are three species of whiptail lizards a skink-like creature that will lay up to four unfertilized eggs that will hatch apparently eight weeks later.

A komodo dragon recently had a virgin birth apparently producing eight viable eggs without any assistance from a boy. Her name is Flora and she lives in Chester Zoo in Europe. She had given the zoo a clutch of eight eggs but three failed to incubate. With Komodo dragons it is the female not the male that carries XY-Type chromosome, scientists discovered.

Live birth
Ovoviviparous is the term used for reptiles that seem to have a live birth. This means they carry the eggs internally. The young stay with the mother snake for a week before going off on their own. However there are natural benders to every rule. It is especially beneficial for snakes that live in colder climates because a pregnant mother can bask in the sun to keep her developing offspring warm. Most young are born tail first but as with most life there are exceptions.

Egg layers
Oviparous is the correct scientific word for animals that lay eggs with a shell from which the offspring emerge. Most reptile eggs have a leather-like shell that thins as the hatch date looms near. Turtles have harder egg shells.

Crocs and Alligators have temperature determined young. Which means the boys and girls are picked not by genetics but by the average temperature during the middle third of their incubation period. Females are predominant males have a five degree range. After the eggs are laid which is in November or December for African

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