Study investigates ‘virgin birth’ in aquarium sharks, even when potential mates are nearby
An adult zebra shark at the Shedd Aquarium’s Wild Reef exhibit. Credit: Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez Asexual reproduction is common in animals like starfish, deep-sea worms, and stick insects, but in vertebrates it is a rarity. A process called parthenogenesis allows some females to fertilize an egg with their own genetic material, producing offspring …