Posted: Jan 17, 2017 2:39 pm
https://www.newscientist.com/article/21 ... ars-alone/
Apparently the switch from sexual to a-sexual reproduction is what's most special here. Long-term storage of sperm was ruled out as the babies only carried DNA from their mum.
New Scientist wrote:Who needs men? A female shark separated from her long-term mate has developed the ability to have babies on her own.
Leonie the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) met her male partner at an aquarium in Townsville, Australia, in 1999. They had more than two dozen offspring together before he was moved to another tank in 2012.
From then on, Leonie did not have any male contact. But in early 2016, she had three baby sharks.
Apparently the switch from sexual to a-sexual reproduction is what's most special here. Long-term storage of sperm was ruled out as the babies only carried DNA from their mum.