Italian shark has virgin birth

A baby shark has been born in a Chicago aquarium asexually, with her mother having not mated with any of the males present in her tank.

Scientists say a rare shark "virgin birth" may be the first of its kind after a baby shark was born in an all-female tank in an Italian aquarium. Its mother had spent ten years living in a tank with one other female, the outlet said, and scientists suspect the newborn could be the first documented case of shark parthenogenesis in that species. Parthenogenesis is a rare phenomenon where an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by a sperm. The process has been observed in more than 80 vertebrate species, according to Live Science , including sharks, fish, and reptiles. He added that while sharks probably had the ability to do it, it was difficult to document in the wild.

Italian shark has virgin birth

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. The adult female shark reached sexual maturity at 3, and was only 7 years old when she began laying eggs. She had not been housed with a male since arriving at the Brookfield Zoo in , zoo officials say. 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. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter. Please enter a valid email address. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.

Redeem now. My Turn Sundays. Chapman told Live Science that in the wild, parthenogenesis might be the last resort for females that cannot find a mate in situations of low population density.

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. 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. Related: Hail Mary!

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

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. To procreate, most species require an egg to be fertilized by a sperm. That's the case with sharks, too. But some animals can produce offspring all by themselves. This is called parthenogenesis. The case in Italy could be the first time this "immaculate conception" has occurred in smooth-hound sharks, at least in captivity. It isn't the first time parthenogenesis has been seen in sharks , and the process has been observed in a number of other shark species.

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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. Another case of females reproducing via parthenogenesis despite the presence of males was seen in late , when a female California condor was found to have laid two eggs that were genetically unrelated to any of the males in the enclosure. Marine biologists at the Italian aquarium have sent DNA samples to a laboratory to confirm that Ispera was born through parthenogenesis, the New York Post reported. Russia-Ukraine War. Donald Trump. Latest audio Latest videos. Better Planet Mondays. Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Most Popular. Email Twitter icon A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. Better Planet.

Its mother had spent ten years living in a tank with one other female, the outlet said, and scientists suspect the newborn could be the first documented case of shark parthenogenesis in that species. Parthenogenesis is a rare phenomenon where an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by a sperm. The process has been observed in more than 80 vertebrate species, according to Live Science , including sharks, fish, and reptiles.

Sign up now. 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. Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek. Epaulette sharks have been known to "walk" short distances across sandy seabeds — the species' preferred habitat — and to use their muscular pectoral fins to land on the seafloor, according to the statement. More about sharks. Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights. A baby shark has been born in an all-female tank at an Italian aquarium. Parthenogenesis, meaning "virgin creation" in Greek, is a type of asexual reproduction in species that would usually reproduce sexually. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. Astronomers narrow down where 'Planet Nine' could be hiding by playing massive game of 'connect the dots'. Better Planet Mondays. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors. Already subscribed?