Python gives birth to babies without mating

The female python at the American zoo lays 6 eggs without going through the mating process with the male before.

Thelma is an 11 year old python, raised at Louisville Zoo, Kentucky State. 6 Thelma's children are also children, born even without mating. DNA test results prove that Thelma is the only "parent " of 6 pythons.

Thelma python at Louisville Zoo.(Photo: Louisville Zoo)

"We think Thelma has stored sperm . Sometimes the truth is even more bizarre than the novel," said Bill McMahan, manager of the cold-blooded animal group at Louisville Zoo.

According to the IB Times, mating without birth is recorded in invertebrates, Komodo dragons, hammerhead sharks and some other snakes. However, this is the first case that appears in python.

A single reproductive process can occur when the body produces a small cell called a pole . They function as a sperm-containing fluid and merge with eggs to produce offspring.

Sexual reproduction occurs in different seasons, often due to a lack of male breeding. This can be considered the main reason why Thelma, which was raised with two other individuals, chose to reproduce in this way.