Iguana’s rare ‘virgin birth’ stuns zookeepers in England

An iguana at a zoo in the United Kingdom performed a "virgin birth," which zookeepers have hailed as one of the "rarest events in the animal kingdom."

Workers at the Exotic Zoo in Telford, England, say a female casque-headed iguana gave birth to eight hatchlings despite never mating with a male.

The feat was made possible thanks to a process called parthenogenesis, which allows unfertilized eggs to develop into embryos. The process creates offspring that are identical genetic clones to the mother.

"When we confirmed the eggs were fertile without any contact with a male, our jaws hit the floor," Scott Adams, Exotic Zoo's owner, said.

The hatchlings are currently residing in the zoo's reptile nursery, an area with controlled temperature and humidity. The zoo hopes to show off the hatch