Answer:
Reproduction may be asexual when one individual produces genetically identical offspring, or sexual when the genetic material from two individuals is combined to produce genetically diverse offspring. Asexual reproduction in animals occurs through fission, budding, fragmentation, and parthenogenesis.
Can any animal reproduce by itself?
We have written before about the strange but spectacular phenomenon of virgin births, or "parthenogenesis" as it's known. Some animals are fully asexual and do not need a male to give birth: for instance, some species of whiptail lizards.
What animal can reproduce without a partner?
The boa constrictor, monitor lizard and Komodo dragon are both capable of becoming pregnant without male fertilization, by parthenogenesis. This form of reproduction is not the preferred method and has evolutionary disadvantages for the species, as it constitutes a form of inbreeding that reduces genetic diversity.
