Italian shark has virgin birth

Scientists at the Cala Gonone Aquarium on the Italian island of Sardinia say a female smooth-hound shark that's been living in an all-female shark tank for 10 years recently gave birth to a baby shark. The aquarium's press team told DW that they are currently waiting for a DNA analysis to confirm that what happened is a italian shark has virgin birth of parthenogenesis.

The process of giving birth without mating — known as parthenogenesis — has intrigued scientists in the last two decades. A number of animals in both the wild and in captivity have been documented in recent years to have undergone parthenogenesis, including birds, non-avian reptiles, snakes, and lizards, and is relatively rare for complex vertebrates like sharks to have such virgin births. The epaulette sharks are nocturnal creatures found in the warm and relatively shallow waters from the southern coast of New Guinea to the northern coast of Australia. They can reach about 2. On August 23, the Brookfield Zoo became one of only two facilities to have had successful hatching of epaulette shark pups produced by such an asexual reproduction process.

Italian shark has virgin birth

Partnerless sex that is. Through a process called parthenogenesis , some female animals in the order elasmobranch that includes sharks, rays, and skates can fertilize an egg using their own genetic material. While previous studies have detailed parthenogenesis in zebra sharks at other aquariums, the report published in December in the Journal of Fish Biology is another step in understanding why these births happen. In , Watson and her colleagues moved a clutch of eggs to a baby shark nursery behind the scenes, where they could safely hatch beyond the limelight of an aquarium tank. They had identical copies of some alleles, or alternative versions of a gene. This showed that they were getting DNA strands from their mother rather than two different parents. Offspring born from parthenogenesis often die young, and the shark pups in this study only survived for a few months. The findings in zebra sharks have implications for not only the continued care of zebra sharks in zoos and aquariums, but also for conservation efforts focused on their wild counterparts. One of those barriers is not being able to access the DNA of all of all adults and offspring to find biological parents. For scientists studying endangered sharks in the wild and in aquariums, understanding reproduction will help conservation strategies. Their genetic tests are part of a Species Survival Plan , or SSP, which brings together expert advisors to maximize genetic diversity and protect endangered species long-term. Through genetic analysis she and her colleagues can make assumptions about how related an individual shark is to the whole group. From there, they can measure what the population size might look like for the next years. Laura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and exploring how science influences daily life.

The epaulette sharks are nocturnal creatures found in the warm and relatively shallow waters from the southern coast of New Guinea to the northern coast of Australia. Astronomers narrow down where 'Planet Nine' could be hiding by playing massive game of 'connect the dots'. Read next.

A female shark at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois has birthed a pup despite having no contact with a male for four years, the zoo announced on Nov. The "virgin birth" occurred on Aug. Animal care staff kept the pup hidden from the public for two months for monitoring but have now said the 5- to 6-inch 13 to 15 centimeters female shark will be on display in the zoo's "Living Coasts" section. This process, known as parthenogenesis, is relatively rare for complex vertebrates like sharks. Parthenogenesis, meaning "virgin creation" in Greek, is a type of asexual reproduction in species that would usually reproduce sexually. It has been observed in birds, sharks, lizards and snakes in captivity — and in June, scientists recorded the first ever virgin birth in a crocodile. The females of species capable of parthenogenesis can produce eggs that contain all the genetic information needed for reproduction.

A starry smoothound shark Mustelus asterias , a near relative of the smoothhound shark. You will find a new newborn shark to rejoice at an aquarium in Sardinia, an island which is portion of the country of Italy. Whilst it is the 1st instance of solo creation of progeny documented in this precise shark species, a lot of other species have shown this exceptional scientific phenomenon. Between some modest creatures these types of as bees, wasps, and ants, this asexual replica is simpler. Even so, for vertebrates it can be very rare. Most recorded illustrations of vertebrates in captivity reproducing by parthenogenesis worry fish or sharks. There are two procedures by which parthenogenesis can occur.

Italian shark has virgin birth

A shark's rare "virgin birth" in an Italian aquarium may be the first of its kind, scientists say. The female baby smoothhound shark Mustelus mustelus — known as Ispera, or "hope" in Maltese — was recently born at the Cala Gonone Aquarium in Sardinia to a mother that has spent the past decade sharing a tank with one other female and no males, Newsweek reported. This rare phenomenon, known as parthenogenesis, is the result of females' ability to self-fertilize their own eggs in extreme scenarios.

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Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments. Astronomers narrow down where 'Planet Nine' could be hiding by playing massive game of 'connect the dots'. Trending Antarctica What causes tinnitus? Big in America Push notifications. Despite the absence of males, the female lizards still undergo mating behaviors with each other to stimulate hormonal cycles prompting egg-laying. During egg development, one egg is produced along with three other products called polar bodies. Several others have done so including one in an Australian aquarium back in The shark began laying two to four eggs each month of which one was fertile and a pup hatched from it following a five-month incubation period, the zoo noted. The epaulette sharks are nocturnal creatures found in the warm and relatively shallow waters from the southern coast of New Guinea to the northern coast of Australia. More about Shark Zoo Birth. While previous studies have detailed parthenogenesis in zebra sharks at other aquariums, the report published in December in the Journal of Fish Biology is another step in understanding why these births happen. Already subscribed?

Scientists at the Cala Gonone Aquarium on the Italian island of Sardinia say a female smooth-hound shark that's been living in an all-female shark tank for 10 years recently gave birth to a baby shark. The aquarium's press team told DW that they are currently waiting for a DNA analysis to confirm that what happened is a case of parthenogenesis.

The pup's mom arrived at Brookfield Zoo in from a New England aquarium, where the first known virgin birth of an epaulette shark was reported. Facebook Twitter Email. Parthenogenesis, meaning "virgin creation" in Greek, is a type of asexual reproduction in species that would usually reproduce sexually. The females of species capable of parthenogenesis can produce eggs that contain all the genetic information needed for reproduction. Big in America Push notifications. Parthenogenesis is surprisingly common. Scientists notice parthenogenesis occurring most often in carpet sharks, particularly white-spotted bamboo sharks Chiloscyllium plagiosum and zebra sharks Stegostoma tigrinum , because they are common aquarium species. In this scenario, the polar body acts as a pseudo-sperm cell with a single strand of DNA. Most Popular. Harry is a U. Parthenogenesis has been observed in more than 80 vertebrate species — including sharks, fish and reptiles — but this may be the first documented occurrence in a smoothhound shark, according to Newsweek. Record-smashing Chinese maglev hyperloop train hits mph and could someday outpace a plane. Show Caption. Animal care staff kept the pup hidden from the public for two months for monitoring but have now said the 5- to 6-inch 13 to 15 centimeters female shark will be on display in the zoo's "Living Coasts" section. Social Links Navigation.