Two of the eggs, which she laid on July 23, are being used for genetic sampling, which will help determine whether the python reproduced sexually or asexually. Of the remaining eggs, three are in an incubator at the zoo’s herpetarium, which houses its snakes, lizards, frogs and other amphibians. Kimodo dragons, for instance, have been known to lay eggs asexually, a process called facultative parthenogenesis. The zoo also has a male ball python that is about 31 years old. They are kept side by side in the zoo’s herpetarium, out of public view, but never come into contact.

Source: New York Times September 12, 2020 10:52 UTC