Polyembryony

By its nature, that is whether it develops with or without fertilization, simple polyembryony can be sexual or asexual.

Polyembryony was first reported by Leeuwenhoek in citrus as early as 1719 and the different cases of polyembryony were studied by Braun in 1859.

In all these groups cloning, where it occurs, must be through polyembryony or parthenogenesis.

Despite their utility in research, litters produced by polyembryony lack the advantages conferred by either asexual or sexual reproduction.

One form of clonal reproduction begins when a fertilized egg divides a few times in the womb before initiating embryonic development. In humans, this can lead nine months later to the birth of identical (monozygotic) twins. This phenomenon, known as polyembryony, occurs sporadically in many mammal species. However, only in armadillos does polyembryony happen consistently, in each and every pregnancy.