Virgin Shark

[Darth Tanner]

Worship the Virgin Jaws

Female hammerhead sharks can reproduce without having sex, scientists in Belfast have found.

They have no need for male sharks and the offspring have no paternal DNA at all, according to the study.

Researchers at Queen's University worked with teams in Florida and Nebraska on the groundbreaking discovery.

The study was prompted by the unexpected birth of a baby hammerhead shark in an aquarium at Nebraska's Henry Doorly Zoo in December 2001.

Initially it was thought that the mother had mated with a male before capture, and then somehow stored the sperm for over three years before finally fertilizing her eggs in the aquarium.
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Using DNA profiling techniques, the researchers were able to identify the mother and at the same time found that there was no DNA of male origin in the baby shark at all.

Dr Paulo Prodöhl, head of the Belfast research team, said: "The findings were really surprising because as far as anyone knew, all sharks reproduced only sexually by a male and female mating, requiring the embryo to get DNA from both parents for full development, just like in mammals."

Very few vertebrate species can reproduce asexually by a method known as "parthenogenesis" - without male fertilisation.

But the discovery is not necessarily good news.

Dr Mahmood Shivji, from Florida's Guy Harvey Research Institute, said: "Unfortunately, this occurrence is not benign because it results in reduced genetic diversity in the offspring since there is no new genetic variation introduced from the paternal side."

The find also raises concerns about the genetic and reproductive health of dwindling shark populations.

Dr Prodöhl added: "The bottom line is that we have to include a whole new dimension to our thinking about shark reproduction and its influence on population health."

He believes conservation efforts will need to be stepped up to prevent a decline in genetic diversity.

Other than the fact that the hammerhead shark is likely to go extinct because of the lack of genetic diversity that will result from this its pretty cool, although worrying for the future of us males.

[wolveraptor]

This was already posted.

FAIL.

But do repost it in the other thread.

[Pablo Sanchez]

FAIL.

Epic fail.