A shark dwelling in an aquarium in Chicago gave birth to a baby asexually. According to Newsweek, the said mother shark did not have any intercourse with other male sharks within the same tank.
Endangered Zebra Shark Has a Virgin Birth
A recent study in the Journal of Fish Biology showed that an endangered female zebra shark from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium delivered a baby without prior intercourse. This was the case even if other male zebra sharks were in the tank with the female mother shark.
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Asexual Reproduction
The case of this shark displays that of asexual reproduction. This refers to having genetically the same offspring even without intercourse or mating.
According to Newsweek, such is considered common among organisms that are invertebrates. Phys also mentions that it is particularly common among deep-sea worms, starfish, and stick insect species. However, it is rare for vertebrates.
For this to happen, a process known as parthenogenesis enables fertilization of the female's egg using its own genetic material. This allows the production of offspring through the virgin birth. According to Brittanica, parthenogenic species could be incapable of reproducing sexually or could be capable of shifting between sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis in certain circumstances.
Phys notes that specialists thought vertebrates usually opt for parthenogenesis as the last option when there is a scarcity of mates.
However, this recent study showed that the zebra shark reproduced through parthenogenesis even when there were reproductive and healthy zebra sharks within the parameters. Newsweek notes how a particular egg clutch led to confusion because it only reflected the genetic data of a singular shark.
Researcher and study author Kevin Feldheim expressed that these babies had no matches with adult male zebra sharks in the area. However, their makeup did match the shark that spawned the eggs,
Newsweek notes that parthenogenesis is rare to happen among sharks. Hence, it is even rarer for the process to occur when their mates are available.
Feldheim shared that this zebra shark's case is the second they know how sharks bred asexually even when male counterparts were present. He mentions how such discovery is a punch to what they thought they knew regarding the way and reason for parthenogenesis to occur. Such an instance also shows a key reality in science: how learning is continuous.
Phys also reports that this recent paper is but another step to understanding why these virgin births occur.
Such findings may implicate the zebra shark care across aquariums and zoos and conservation endeavors dedicated to those in their natural and wild habitat.
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