Strange but true! The first case in the world is discovered, the crocodile makes itself pregnant

The first case in the world has happened, where a crocodile got pregnant at the zoo in Costa Rica.

She produced a fetus that was 99.9% genetically identical to herself. The phenomenon of the so-called "virgin birth" has been found in other species of birds, fish and reptiles, but never before in crocodiles.

Scientists say the trait may have been inherited from an evolutionary ancestor, so dinosaurs may also have been capable of self-reproduction.

The research is published in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters. Dr Warren Booth, who now works at Virginia Tech in the US, has been studying virgin births, scientifically known as parthenogenesis, for 11 years.

Dr Booth analyzed the fetus and found that it was more than 99.9% genetically identical to its mother, confirming that there was no father. He told BBC News he was not surprised by the revelation.

"We see it in sharks, birds, snakes and lizards and it's extremely common and widespread."

He speculated that the reason parthenogenesis has not been seen in crocodiles is because people have not looked for examples of it.

"There was a huge increase in reports of parthenogenesis when people started keeping snakes, but no one has kept a crocodile," he said.

One theory is that this happens in species capable of parthenogenesis, when their numbers are reduced and they are on the verge of extinction. Dr Booth told BBC News that this may have happened to some species of dinosaurs when their numbers dwindled due to environmental changes.

'The fact that the mechanism of parthenogenesis is the same in so many different species suggests that it is a very ancient trait that has been inherited throughout the ages. So this supports the idea that dinosaurs could also reproduce this way.