Female whale shark is a

A new analysis of whale shark embryos suggests that whale sharks (also known as whale sharks) may be ' a living sperm bank ' - a place of protection, between sperm after being mating.

Giant whale sharks are always a difficult topic for scientists, especially their mating and feeding. Therefore, this new discovery is considered to be extremely important, suggesting new directions in the study of this giant sea animal.

According to a genetic analysis of 29 embryos from a female whale shark caught near Taiwan in 1995, although embryos are in different stages of development, they all share a father. .

Jennifer Schmidt, a biologist at the University of Illinois, said: "It is possible that female whale sharks have kept sperm after mating once with male whale sharks and conducting fertilization for further eggs." follow her .

This will provide whale sharks an extremely safe and secure ' reproductive insurance '. They will have sperm in the body to continue fertilizing eggs even if they do not meet the male.

Much of the whale shark's life takes place in the deep sea, where scientists are difficult to observe and study. In particular, no one has ever seen a pair of whale sharks.

Pregnant children are also not common. The first time (in three recorded times) was in 1995 in Taiwan. This female whale shark has 304 embryos in the uterus with different development of each embryo.

Usually, sharks can carry multiple embryos at the same time. By giving birth to many children at the same time, sharks that minimize their child's risk will become food for the enemy.

29 samples of embryos and assumptions

After 15 years, only 29 embryos were kept frozen. However, they have brought new discoveries in genetic science. By genetic analysis, researchers can determine that all of these whale shark embryos are likely to have the same father .

This finding surprised many researchers. Because most of the sharks studied have produced baby sharks after mating with many males at the same time.

Whale sharks living in captivity are often difficult to guarantee mature age and sexual life. (Photo: Internet)

Although, most likely, female whale sharks mate more times at different intervals, arranged as a spousal relationship. However, the judgment is about the whale shark that has kept sperm of the male whale after a mating to continue fertilizing its eggs.

Schmidt is not sure if whale sharks can store sperm for a long time or after how many times they mate. Researching through a single whale shark cannot guarantee an absolutely accurate result.

It may be the case that the unsaved embryo samples for research are of another father shark. Or, the female elephant whale has mated with many other male whales but cannot fertilize.

Another hypothesis is that two male whale sharks with nearly identical DNA mate with female whale sharks and studies have missed the difference between those embryos. Therefore, the research continues to be conducted in order to find the most accurate results.

However, the expansion of research on this issue also encountered many difficulties. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, whale sharks are considered one of the ' vulnerable ' animals. This giant animal is protected and strictly forbidden to hunt worldwide.

In addition, individuals living in captivity in aquariums are usually under 25 years old and have not had a mature sexual life. Adult female whale sharks usually live only in some places like the Cortez Sea and the sea area near the Galapagos Islands. So researchers are working hard to study pregnant whale sharks right there.