Generally, the virus is thought to cause mild symptoms in other animals.īut the virus also infects wild white-tailed deer in North America. So far, researchers have found evidence of infection in captive or domesticated animals, including tigers, lions, gorillas, minks, snow leopards, domestic dogs, and domestic cats. The virus that causes COVID-19 doesn’t just afflict humans: It can also infect a wide variety of animal species. “Will it happen again? I rather believe so.” COVID-19 found in wild deer, other animals Why did this happen? “We just don’t know,” says Oliver Ryder, director of conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Scientists think that this form of reproduction is significantly more common in the animal world than thought, in part because it’s difficult to detect and rarely tracked.Īlthough parthenogenesis could serve as a life raft for rare species when mates are scarce, it could also have downsides, such as reducing genetic diversity. This is the first evidence of virgin birth, also known as parthenogenesis, in this species (and likely any non-domesticated bird). Researchers have kept careful track of the birds’ breeding habits and genetics, and in October, they discovered that two female birds had given birth to young-without breeding. The total population is now more than 500. In an ambitious bid to save them, all 22 condors were captured from the wild in 1987 and bred in captivity, before being released back to parts of California, Utah, Arizona, and Baja California. ‘Virgin births’ in a rare birdĬalifornia condors-magnificent scavengers with a wingspan of over nine feet-almost went extinct by the middle of the 20th century, due to poisoning, poaching, and habitat destruction. Here are the top 12 animal discoveries that got our attention this year. Research into the wonders of the natural world continue to show us how amazing life on our planet really is. As we approach the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid increasingly destructive climate change, news coverage of science can sometimes be a heavy read.īut Earth is still an incredible place, bursting with promise and mystery.
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