The female shark gave birth to a genetic clone of herself, despite there being eligible males present in her tank.
Parthenogenesis is surprisingly common. Various types of reptile, including species of whiptails, geckos, rock lizards and snakes have been observed to reproduce occasionally via parthenogenesis. Some species, including the New Mexico whiptail, reproduce exclusively by parthenogenesis, meaning that they have not had males for millions of years. Despite the absence of males, the female lizards still undergo mating behaviors with each other to stimulate hormonal cycles prompting egg-laying.
While this phenomenon has previously been seen in sharks, it is rare, and even rarer to be seen when males are available to mate with. "This is only the second case that we know of where sharks have been born by parthenogenesis even when there were healthy mates available," Feldheim said."This discovery throws a wrench in what we thought we knew about how and why parthenogenesis happens, and it illustrates a key aspect of science: We're continually learning."
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