When males are not needed

6 Minute English

语言学习

2021-05-13

6 分钟
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  • This is a download from BBC Learning English.

  • To find out more, visit our website.

  • Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English, I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Rob.

  • Do you think there are big differences between men and women Neil?

  • Apart from the old stereotypes we sometimes hear like that men can't express emotions.

  • I suppose biologically there are differences, Rob.

  • I mean, men and women's bodies are different.

  • Right, and it takes both a man and a woman to make a baby.

  • Well, that's true in humans anyway, but in this program we'll be hearing about creatures in the wild where the classic boy meets girl love story doesn't apply.

  • Yes, we'll be meeting some female animals who don't need a male to make babies.

  • These creatures reproduce by pathonogenesis, also called virgin birth.

  • This is the process where the female can reproduce without a mate,

  • the term used for an animal's sexual partner.

  • All animal species survive by making babies,

  • reproducing to make copies of themselves.

  • But amazingly, the female of some species can do it all by herself.

  • But before that, it's time for my quiz question.

  • In Britain's Chester Zoo in 2006,

  • Flora laid 11 eggs that developed into healthy babies.