Female snake living in captivity without a male companion gives birth – again

For the second time in two years, a female yellow-bellied water snake in Missouri reproduced on her own, a rare occurence called parthenogenesis

For the second time in two years, a captive snake in south-east Missouri has given birth without any interaction with a member of the opposite sex.

Officials at the Missouri department of conservation's Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center say a female yellow-bellied water snake reproduced on her own in 2014 and again this summer. The snake has been living in captivity, without a male companion, for nearly eight years. An intern who cares for the snake found the freshly laid membranes in July.