How many of the animals that are capable of parthenogenesis (being able to reproduce without a male and female, e.g. the Komodo dragon) did Noach take with him into the Ark - 1 or 2?
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Note that although there have been instances of komodo dragons being capable of parthenogenesis, the common way for them to mate is with a male and female. (Sorry just a nitpick there.)– ezraOct 17, 2018 at 16:11
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1You'd also lose the male line completely, so half of the species would be lost forever...– user15253Oct 17, 2018 at 18:53
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@Orangesandlemons Actually that's not necessarily true, because at least in the case with the komodo dragon being capable of parthenogenesis, all the babies were male. (Wiki) So on the contrary you may have a chance of losing the female line.– ezraOct 19, 2018 at 2:59
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@ezra in the case where only male babies are born, you'd lose the entire species...– user15253Oct 19, 2018 at 6:49
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1 Answer
Since the Torah doesn't mention a distinction, it's fair to assume that he brought two of each. Even such species usually mate with another individual, in order to reap the evolutionary gains of greater genetic diversity.
answered Oct 17, 2018 at 13:19
