A white-lipped bamboo viper at Pakawi Park in Olmen, Antwerp province, has given birth to a litter of 12 offspring without mating.
VRT reports that zoo staff were initially baffled by the arrival of the baby snakes – known as snakelets. The reptile reportedly had no contact with a male snake for years.
Veterinarian Tim Bouts identified the event as parthenogenesis. This is a rare form of asexual reproduction, which allows females to reproduce without a mate. It acts as a biological fallback mechanism to protect the species.
"If there is no male, the female can fertilise herself," Bouts told VRT. The mother's egg fertilises itself using leftover cells the body usually throws away. The resulting offspring share almost identical DNA with their mother, though they are exclusively male.
Zookeepers had to quickly remove the newborns from the terrarium to prevent their mother from eating them. They subsequently renamed her Mary in a nod to the virgin birth. Bouts jokingly suggested naming the 12 young snakes after the apostles.
While parthenogenesis occasionally occurs in captive reptiles, it remains exceptionally rare in Belgium. A similar phenomenon previously happened with Komodo dragons at London Zoo. Visitors can now view the baby snakes on display in the park.
Pakawi Park operates in the Belgian municipality of Balen. The Antwerp province site reopened in June 2019 with a new name derived from the Swahili word for feline – influenced by its specialised collection of big cats including white tigers, panthers, and clouded leopards.
The privately owned zoo draws approximately 200,000 visitors annually.
