The little shark pup was born without the help of a daddy shark. Photo: Shreveport Aquarium
A swell shark pup at Shreveport Aquarium in Louisiana hatched from its little egg on January 3. That is cause for celebration, of course, but this wasn’t any old shark hatch. This one came without the presence of a male shark.
According to reports, the husbandry team at the Shreveport Aquarium found an egg from one of the two female swell sharks they have. Eight months later, the shark pup broke free from its shell and made its way into the world. But the aquarium only has the pair of female swell sharks, and neither of them have been in contact with a male for over three years.
Swell sharks, which are named after their ability to suck in seawater and swell up to appear larger than they are, are found all along the west coast of the Americas, from California to Chile. Depending on the temperature of the water, the pups can hatch anywhere from nine to 12 months after the eggs are laid.
So how, exactly, did this apparent virgin birth occur? Swell sharks are pretty amazing animals that are capable of two things so strange they seem a little like magic. The first is delayed fertilization, where the female stores sperm from a male in their body and saves it for later.
@foxweatherOfficials with the Shreveport Aquarium recently announced the unusual birth of a swell shark pup in a tank where only two female sharks were present. The two females had not had contact with a male swell shark in more than 3 years. #swellshark #shreveportaquarium #foxweather
The second and more incredible thing they can do is called parthenogenesis, which doesn’t require a male at all. The female can use only her genetic material to create new life. It’s a function that is generally found in lizards and fish.
It’s not yet known which of the two processes created Yoko, the new shark pup, but once it has grown a bit more, researchers plan on taking some blood and testing the DNA to find out whether it can thank delayed fertilization or parthenogenesis for the gift of life.
“This situation is incredible and shows the resilience of this species,” said Greg Barrick, the Curator of Live Animals at Shreveport Aquarium, in a statement. “We are very excited in the coming months to confirm whether this was indeed a case of parthenogenesis or if it was delayed fertilization. It really proves that life… uh… finds a way.”
