Oct 30, 2021 12:50 AM
https://gizmodo.com/two-california-condo...1847956681
EXCERPTS: In a truly double-take-inducing finding, geneticists recently surveyed a population of critically endangered California condors and found that two of the birds reproduced without actually mating.
This phenomenon, called parthenogenesis (a nice callback to Athena springing from Zeus’s head), happens occasionally in reptiles and fishes but rarely in birds. The scientists stumbled across the discovery when going back through the genetic records of the condors from the mid-2000s. Their findings were published today in the Journal of Heredity.
“It’s a remarkably improbable occurrence,” said Oliver Ryder, a geneticist at the Wildlife Alliance at the San Diego Zoo and co-lead author of the paper, in a phone call with Gizmodo. “In their lifetimes they weren’t even recognized to be parthenotes… we’re definitely keeping our eyes out anytime we get a batch of blood samples for testing.”
[...] Parthenogenesis is quite rare in birds. Previously, there have been documented cases in finches, pigeons, turkeys, and chickens—but never condors, and the finding has heightened significance given the condors endangered status. In 1982 there were only 22 birds alive. Established breeding programs have since boosted that number to over 500, but the animals remain at the brink of extinction.
The two chicks would be capable of reproduction, Ryder said. At least in theory. They’re both dead: Studbook #260 died at the Condor Sanctuary at Big Sur in 2003, and Studbook #517 died at the Oregon Zoo in 2017. But turkey parthenotes can reproduce, Ryder added, so the same likely applies for their carrion-loving cousins.
That said, it’s not like parthenogenesis can save a species from extinction. It’s an extremely rare phenomenon, and the rhyme or reason for its occurrence in the condors remains an enigma... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: In a truly double-take-inducing finding, geneticists recently surveyed a population of critically endangered California condors and found that two of the birds reproduced without actually mating.
This phenomenon, called parthenogenesis (a nice callback to Athena springing from Zeus’s head), happens occasionally in reptiles and fishes but rarely in birds. The scientists stumbled across the discovery when going back through the genetic records of the condors from the mid-2000s. Their findings were published today in the Journal of Heredity.
“It’s a remarkably improbable occurrence,” said Oliver Ryder, a geneticist at the Wildlife Alliance at the San Diego Zoo and co-lead author of the paper, in a phone call with Gizmodo. “In their lifetimes they weren’t even recognized to be parthenotes… we’re definitely keeping our eyes out anytime we get a batch of blood samples for testing.”
[...] Parthenogenesis is quite rare in birds. Previously, there have been documented cases in finches, pigeons, turkeys, and chickens—but never condors, and the finding has heightened significance given the condors endangered status. In 1982 there were only 22 birds alive. Established breeding programs have since boosted that number to over 500, but the animals remain at the brink of extinction.
The two chicks would be capable of reproduction, Ryder said. At least in theory. They’re both dead: Studbook #260 died at the Condor Sanctuary at Big Sur in 2003, and Studbook #517 died at the Oregon Zoo in 2017. But turkey parthenotes can reproduce, Ryder added, so the same likely applies for their carrion-loving cousins.
That said, it’s not like parthenogenesis can save a species from extinction. It’s an extremely rare phenomenon, and the rhyme or reason for its occurrence in the condors remains an enigma... (MORE - missing details)