Baby Shark born in a tank full of female sharks only, scientists amazed

A baby shark has been born in a tank of female sharks where there hasn’t been a male in over a decade, surprising experts who believe it’s due to asexual reproduction.

If verified, this would be the first time parthenogenesis reproduction in sharks has been documented. The baby smooth-hound shark (Mustelus mustelus) was born in the Acquario Cala Gonone in Sardinia, Italy.

The female baby shark, dubbed ‘Ispera’ by the aquarium staff, is thought to be the outcome of parthenogenesis reproduction, which is a type of asexual reproduction in which a female egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by sperm.

The mother of the miraculous baby shark, according to the aquarium personnel, would be one of the two female sharks that had spent more than ten years living in the same big pelagic tank with no males present. As a result, Ispera is thought to be the first shark to undergo parthenogenesis, which would be a significant advancement in marine research.

The Cala Gonone Aquarium’s crew has submitted two DNA samples of the two female sharks from the pelagic tank to a specialised laboratory, as this is the only way to confirm the hypothesis. The DNA analysis is expected to take a long time to complete due to delays caused by COVID-19 research taking precedence over other fields of study in Italy.

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Parthenogenesis is known as a procedure that basically creates ‘clones’ of the parent since the embryo receives genetic material from only one individual. The egg is fertilized by a still immature egg cell that acts nearly like sperm in one of the most common processes for this type of reproduction.

Parthenogenesis is most often seen in lower plants and invertebrates such as ants, wasps and bees, but it has also been observed in species such as reptiles, fish and even birds that would ordinarily reproduce sexually.

Demonstrating that this form of reproduction is also feasible in smooth-hound sharks would be a huge scientific accomplishment since it would open the door to further research into whether parthenogenesis is a natural occurrence in this type of marine animal.