Virgin Births Confirmed: Two Male California Condors Hatched From Unfertilized Eggs

A recent study confirms that California condors can hatch two male chicks in 2001 & 2009 from unfertilized eggs--virgin births. The chicks were labeled as SB260 and SB517. To ensure its genetics the chicks were able to pass a DNA test showcasing 100% of their mothers. It equates to the two adult male condors fertilizing the eggs themselves.

What are California Condors?

Gymnogyps californianus or California condors, according to National Geographic, are carnivorous birds that can reach an average wingspan of 9 to 10 feet and weigh about 31 pounds making them the largest flying bird in North America.

For the Native Americans, California condors were sacred birds that lived in vast open spaces of the West. Currently, the captive breeding steps for the critically endangered species is one of the most well-known conservation efforts to revive an animal species from the verge of extinction.

Despite its size and ferociousness, the California condor population has been declining since European settlements first spread across North America. These birds have been labeled as an endangered species since 1967 and were veering extinction when captive-breeding programs were started.

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Virgin Births and California Condors: A First of its Kind

A phenomenon is known as parthenogenesis explains how creatures like honey bees and rattlesnakes have virgin births--an asexual reproduction. However, up until the shocking discovery, researchers were unaware that the chicks were produced asexually until their untimely death due to health complications. One of the chicks pass in 2003 at only two years of age, while the other in 2017 at eight years old.

The team of researchers plans to continue future genotyping in hopes of identifying and understanding other parthenogenetic cases.

In a study published in the Journal of Heredity, titled "Facultative Parthenogenesis in California Condors," Oliver Ryder, co-author, and director of conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says that the findings raise interesting questions regarding whether virgin births may occur undetected in other species.

The team at California zoo welcomed the two chicks without knowledge that the pair were reproduced via virgin births since others had produced multiple chicks with mates. Some had 11 chicks while others had 23 chicks.

Ryder explains that the team wasn't specifically looking for evidence of parthenogenesis but merely stumbled upon it. The team confirmed it due to normal genetic studies that were being done to prove parentage. The results showed that both of the eggs had expected male ZZ chromosomes, but all of their markers were only inherited from their mother.

Unfortunately, both chicks experienced severe health issues that ultimately led to their deaths. SB260 died two years after being reintroduced to the wild at two years old. The chicks were originally smaller than average hatchlings and had notable difficulty mixing with other wild condors, according to the.

SB517 died in 2017 due to a curved spine and difficulty walking and was never released back into its natural habitat. Researchers are unable to confirm if the health issues are a by=product of the chick's asexual reproduction.