A lone male snake gives birth to 14 young

The appearance of 14 young snakes, in a place inhabited by a single adult snake, was like a miracle, for two reasons.

The first is that the snake gave birth to 14 young, despite scientists believing it was male, and the second is that it had not engaged in any sexual contact for 9 years.

According to the British newspaper "The Guardian", the snake from the Brazilian "Boa" species lives in a tank at the British College of Portsmouth, and is called "Ronaldo" and is 1.8 meters long.

The college described this birth as a "miracle", noting that "what happened is a rare example of parthenogenesis, which is a natural form of asexual reproduction, where embryos are created without fertilization."

This is common in plants and some animals, but it is believed that this is only the third time that it has been documented in a snake of this species, anywhere in the world.

Reptile specialist Pete Quinlan said: "Ronaldo looked a little fatter than usual as if he had eaten a big meal. We didn't think for a moment that he was, or should we say she was, pregnant."

Quinlan has cared for Ronaldo for nine years, after the snake was rehomed by the RSPCA, and was thought to be male.

Quinlan said he is now busy sexing the young snakes and preparing 14 new enclosures. "Once the snakes are mature enough they will be moved to their new homes."

According to Dudley Zoo, most Brazilian boa constrictors give birth to around 12 to 15 young.

The young snakes usually emerge around six months after mating, and start feeding when they are 10 days old. They are 38 to 50 centimetres long at birth, reaching 1.2 metres in their first year, with females growing larger than males.