No Daddy Shark in sight: Zoo greets a cute shark pup after apparent parthenogenesis
I saw this article on NPR.
Weird but interesting...
Asexual reproduction was only recently seen in sharks
The zoo says this is the second known case of apparent asexual reproduction producing an epaulette shark pup in an accredited zoo or aquarium. That other case was reported at the New England Aquarium in Boston — where the Chicago Zoo acquired its adult epaulette females.
Staff at the Brookfield Zoo say they've been getting tips on nursing the young pup through its first months from their colleagues at the New England Aquarium.
Parthenogenesis is well documented in insects and reptiles, and it's been seen in birds and fish. But it wasn't until fairly recently that it was confirmed in sharks.
Most notably, about 22 years ago, female bonnethead sharks, a type of hammerhead, produced "astonishing virgin births" at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska, "despite the prolonged absence of male sharks," as an academic study stated....
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/07/1211178209/shark-pup-parthenogenes
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