Shark at Chicago aquarium hatched pups with no father
Last updated on: 21 December,2022 12:41 pm
Genetic testing was performed on the pups.
CHICAGO (Web Desk) - The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago said researchers were stunned when they discovered a female zebra shark had hatched pups without any genetic material from a male.
The aquarium said the female shark, nicknamed Bubbles, hatched pups in the tank she shares with multiple other adult zebra sharks, and the babies were originally believed to have been fathered by a male shark in the tank.
Genetic testing was performed on the pups as part of research related to a breeding program for the species and the researchers were stunned to discover Bubbles was the sole parent of the baby sharks, having reproduced via parthenogenesis, or "virgin birth," where a female will fertilize eggs with her own genetic material.