Officials with the Shreveport Aquarium recently announced the unusual birth of a swell shark pup in a tank where only two female sharks were present. Aquarium officials noted that the two females that were in the tank with Yoko had not had contact with a male swell shark in more than 3 years. One involves parthenogenesis, a rare form of reproduction without the need for a male, and the other is delayed fertilization, in which fertilization happens well after sharks have mated.
It really proves that life⦠uh⦠finds a way. The aquarium will determine what happened when Yoko is large enough for a blood draw, allowing the husbandry team to conduct a DNA analysis on the pup. Because of this, Yoko is being closely monitored and kept away from public eyes until it is old enough to move to a larger tank. Unlike other sharks that give birth to live young, swell sharks usually release fertilized eggs into the water.
Named "Yoko" from the Chumash word "onyoko," meaning "shark," the pup was born on Jan. Shreveport Aquarium. You are viewing 1 of 3 images Previous Image Next Image.
