Unmarried sharks remain pregnant

American scientists were stunned to discover that a black-fin shark in the Atlantic conceived without a male.

The animal, Tidbit, went to the Virginia Marine and Aquatic Science Center (Virginia, USA) shortly after birth. He stayed there for 8 years and had no contact with any male sharks.

After Tidbid died, a fetus was found to be fully developed in its body.

Demian Chapman, a shark expert at the Institute of Ocean Conservation Science (of Stony Brook University, New York State, USA) conducted fetal DNA testing. The results show that baby sharks do not have fathers. The phenomenon of reproduction does not need such males called mono reproduction.

In 2007, a hammerhead shark in a zoo in Omaha (Nebraska, USA) also gave birth without a male.

A shark with a black fin.Photo: sharkinfo.dh.

"The case of Tidbit shows that last year 's reproductive reproduction in Omaha is not the absurdity of creation. It seems that reproductive sex is quite common in sharks," Demian said.

If born in a tank, Tidbit's son will surely be eaten by other sharks. This happened to the baby shark in Omaha city.

According to Demian, the reproductive nature was recorded in Komodo dragons, snakes, birds, fish and amphibians. It occurs when a fetus forms from an egg without sperm. In the case of monogamous reproduction in sharks, the mother's chromosomes divide during egg development.

However, why sharks do that is still a mystery. Demian thinks they have produced a hormone capable of stimulating eggs to create a fetus.

"This is a finding that makes us rewrite the biological textbook. It shows that the ocean still has a lot of secrets to discover and sharks are a case. Of course, sharks are being destroyed with The speed is so dizzy that they may become extinct before people know their secrets , " Demian concluded.