Though humans and mammals have to rely on sex to procreate, many animals have other options. Sea stars, wasps, marbled crayfish, jellyfish and ants are just a few species that can reproduce asexually.
Among vertebrates, or animals with backbones, asexual reproduction is more rare. However, California condors, New Mexico whiptail lizards and certain fish all reproduce via a process known as parthenogenesis — a Greek word whose two roots translate to "virgin creation."
Still, there's plenty that scientists don't know about asexual animals. That's why certain species, like zebra sharks and killifish, are reshaping what researchers know about asexual reproduction in nature.
The Benefits of Asexual Reproduction
Why do these animals choose to forgo sex and lay eggs containing, essentially, clones? According to Anne Marie Dion-Côté, an evolutionary molecular biologist at the Université de Moncton in Canada, there's a better question to ask: Why do so many animals choose to have sex?
