Scientists: Va. shark's pup a 'virgin birth'

By STEVE SZKOTAK – 6 hours ago

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Scientists have confirmed the second case of a "virgin birth" in a shark.

In a study reported Friday in the Journal of Fish Biology, scientists said DNA testing proved that a pup carried by a female Atlantic blacktip shark in the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center contained no genetic material from a male.

The first documented case of asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, among sharks involved a pup born to a hammerhead at an Omaha, Neb., zoo.

"This first case was no fluke," Demian Chapman, a shark scientist and lead author of the second study, said in a statement. "It is quite possible that this is something female sharks of many species can do on occasion."

source:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jopMqOO2So3dYy-hCo92NdE5aWuAD93ND98G0

swampgirl's deadpool sift of previous occurrence:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Nature-Finds-a-Way-Parthenogenesis-or-Virgin-Birth

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