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Captive distaff sharks at an aquarium in Italy keep reproducing on their own with no males involved , indicating that it could be a vital survival mechanism , according to a new study .
In the study published July 26 in the journalScientific Reports , the scientists documented repeat asexual reproduction in two plebeian smooth hound shark ( Mustelus mustelus ) , which are relegate as an peril metal money by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature . The sharks are usually found in the Mediterranean Sea and other fond Ethel Waters but are threaten by illegal sportfishing .
The pups born at the Cala Gonone Aquarium in Italy represent the first documented case of facultative parthenogenesis in the common smooth hound shark (Mustelus mustelus).
The two female sharks are in captivity at Cala Gonone Aquarium in Italy and have spent the last 14 years aside from male . Since 2020 , both female havereproduced asexually , which indicates facultative parthenogenesis .
Parthenogenesis means " virgin birth , " in Greek and account when an ball develops into an materialization without fecundation . While rare in vertebrates , this phenomenon has been observed in reptilian such ascrocodilesandwater snake , amphibiansand somefish .
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However , this is the first documented case of facultative parthenogenesis — the ability to multiply both sexually and asexually — in this shark mintage . The researchers found that the two females could reproduce parthenogenetically roughly once a year . That rules out the opening of intimate reproduction because of stored sperm , according to the researchers .
" unco , this finding reveals that parthenogenesis can come each year in these shark , understudy between two female person , and conclusively excludes farsighted - full term sperm storage as a cause , " the authors wrote in the survey .
In total , the couple has get four offspring . The first puppy was deliver in 2016 , but it break and the clay were not studied . Three more pups have been born since — one in 2020 , another in 2021 and a third in 2023 . Only one ( born in 2021 ) is still alive . All displayed bite marks on their body , which was potential the campaign of death for the pups born in 2020 and 2023 , agree to the researchers .
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To sustain the genetical origins of the offspring , the researchers took deoxyribonucleic acid sample from each of the three pups and compared them to the grownup shark . Their findings showed that in the set of markers tested , the offspring had indistinguishable genes to their mothers .
This uncovering highlights the grandness of parthenogenesis as a survival mechanics in wild populations with correct manlike phone number , the researcher said .
" These findings greatly raise our discernment of procreative strategies in shark and could inform preservation efforts for endangered species , " the authors said in the cogitation .
While the report focused on vulgar smooth - hound shark , parthenogenesis has been account in other species , includingwhitespotted bamboo sharks(Chiloscyllium plagiosum),zebra sharks(Stegostoma tigrinum ) , andswell sharks(C. ventriosum ) .
