A female zebra shark isolated for years from a partner has nonetheless birthed several pups ― all without any male input. “Leonie” is the first shark ever recorded to have apparently adapted to asexual reproduction. She hatched three eggs in April 2016, three years after she last shared a tank (and bred with) a male shark. Dudgeon said this form of asexual reproduction, known as “parthenogenesis,” is quite common in invertebrates. For vertebrates like sharks, however, it’s exceedingly rare (at least in captivity), and not fully understood.

Source: Huffington Post January 17, 2017 19:35 UTC