CNN: “Zookeepers at the Saint Louis Zoo were surprised to see their oldest snake coiled around a clutch of freshly laid eggs because she hadn’t been near a male in more than 15 years. The ball python, which has been at the zoo since 1961, laid seven eggs on July 23, Mark Wanner, the Zoological Manager of Herpetology told CNN. ‘It was a surprise. We didn’t expect her to drop another clutch of eggs, honestly,’ he said. Keepers had noticed some changes in the snake beforehand, but Wanner said they were subtle. The snake doesn’t have a name, but is identified by the number 361003, according to the zoo. She’s believed to be at least 62 years old. Ball pythons are native to central and western Africa and can reproduce asexually, which is known as facultative parthenogenesis, the zoo said. Wanner said Komodo dragons and some other snakes and reptiles also reproduce asexually.”
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