Last litter of the year! 👎

Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction by which embryos develop from unfertilized eggs.
Female snakes can reproduce through parthenogenesis: virgin birth in species that usually reproduce sexually. In short, a polar body, a cell that's formed when the body produces eggs, takes on the role of sperm and fertilizes an egg

[@patrickalilbitofeverything5181]

Damn 🤦🏽‍♂️ you win some you loose some

[@MikeRobertsReptiles]

Yep...Never makes it easy tho.

[@Billsmorphboas8]

Mike, are you breeding Motley to Motley? It was my understanding that motley to Motley is a lethal combination. I’m just curious because I have five Motley‘s in my collection and I was told to never breed them together.

[@MikeRobertsReptiles]

No..The breeding was a Sunglow male to a Hypo Motley female. It was a partho birth meaning the female fertilized her own eggs with her own DNA. That's why there are super motleys. I would never breed a motley to a motley.

[@Billsmorphboas8]

@@MikeRobertsReptiles wow I had no idea that could happen. Thank you for explaining that I really had no idea that the females could do that.

[@realthing66]

I didn't know that either. Interesting!

[@ColdBloodedAddicts]

Bummer man😢

[@kaitlynndaw2755]

Hey Mike. I’m so happy with the boa I got from you and what a beautiful clutch but I’m sorry to hear that this one wasn’t such a win. Just know you’re excellent at what you do and I’m sorry to hear about this one. Great job this year!

[@MikeRobertsReptiles]

Thanks for the kind word's

[@kaitlynndaw2755]

@@MikeRobertsReptiles of course

[@stacycole1935]

Poor wee babes. 😢

[@pyromancyglassart8975]

So sorry about that I had a litter of 27 once that all drowned. Lesson learned no newspaper in prego enclosed.

[@realthing66]

😢

[@kumetu]

This is a heartbreaker, and cross fingers they make it. To my understanding though, only the super Motley babies would be parthenogenic, not the Ghost, unless he or she is a super Ghost and the father is not het. Anery? The unfortunate stillborn Hypo would not be unless she or he is a super Hypo. Mother would duplicate all of her unshared allelic genes, making super Motley Snows and super Hypo Moonglows, correct? This is just my limited understanding of how it works..

[@MikeRobertsReptiles]

Yes that is correct..father is not het anery, so it would be a super hypo ghost.

[@kumetu]

@@MikeRobertsReptiles I appreciate you clarifying. Really wanting them to pull through man. It is a hurtful thing wondering whether the babies will make it.