Shark hatches pup without any contact with a male shark in Brookfield Zoo in US

In a surprising incident, an epaulette shark in a US zoo has reproduced without having any contact with a male shark. The female epaulette shark gave birth to a pup in August after one of her eggs hatched. In a press release, Brookfield Zoo have revealed the bizarre incident.

Interestingly, the mother shark had not been housed with a male since arriving at the Zoo in 2019. The pup's birth marks the second recorded instance of a shark reproducing asexually in the United States. The baby shark has been born by a natural process called Parthenogenesis which happens rarely in complex vertebrates, including sharks.

According to the press release, the shark had been laying two to four, typically infertile eggs, each month since 2022. One of the eggs was fertile and a pup hatched from it after a five-month incubation. The shark pup is now 2 months old and measures approximately 5- to 6-inch.

“We are happy to report that our epaulette pup has been eating well on her diet of finely chopped capelin, minced squid tentacles, and other finely chopped seafood. Our colleagues at New England Aquarium have been a great resource as shark pups produced parthenogenetically can be very delicate,” said Mike Masellis, a lead animal care specialist at Brookfield Zoo.

“We are looking forward to guests being able to see the pup,” added Mike.

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About Epaulette sharks

These sharks can reach 2½ to 3 feet in length when fully grown. Epaulette sharks are mostly nocturnal. They are mainly found in warm, shallow waters around New Guinea and Australia. In its natural habitat, the shark likes feeding on invertebrates found in coral reefs. This species of sharks can survive up to 25 years.

Epaulette sharks can be raised in aquariums in a protective environment.

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