Scientists: Virginia shark's pup a 'virgin birth'

October 10th, 2008 in Biology /
Scientists: Virginia shark's pup a 'virgin birth' (AP)

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A blacktip shark, Carcharhinus limbatus, is shown in this March 2008 file photo in the Indian Ocean off Aliwal Shoal, South Africa. Scientists have confirmed the second case of a "virgin birth" in a shark. In a report 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. (AP Photo/Institute for Ocean Conservation Science/Matthew D. Potenski)

(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.



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