Shark Jesus ~ new word ‘parthenogenesis’
A shark in a Hungarian aquarium shocked a lot of people when it gave birth to a little shark pup without ever coming into contact with a male shark. Some people are referring to it as the "Jesus Shark." Virgin birth is known as "parthenogenesis."
According to this Telegraph article, "Parthenogenesis, where an egg starts to divide without being fertilised, occurs in a number of lower animals such as bees and ants but, it was thought, not in higher animals including cartilaginous fish such as a shark."
That article reports that the mother is "very protective" at the moment, but that the biologists are looking forward to taking DNA samples soon. You can see a picture of the pup at the Telegraph.
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Posted on January 14, 2008
Filed Under Sharks |
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