It seems this highly-endangered marine fish found a way to cheat extinction.
Researchers found that female sawfish are now reproducing asexually -- giving birth without having sex, WPTV reports.
This “virgin birth” was discovered accidentally when scientists were studying a sawfish population in Florida. DNA results indicated that seven sawfish were produced asexually.
"This could rewrite the textbooks," said Dr. Kevin Feldheim, a scientist who took part in the research, to Stony Brook University. "[Asexual reproduction] may be much more routine in the wild than we previously thought."
Published in the journal Current Biology, researchers say this is a very important finding because it is the first time they have seen this kind of breeding for vertebrates in the wild. It was previously seen only for vertebrates living in captivity, such as sharks, snakes, and birds, according to Newser.
But how does this asexual breeding work?
According to scientists, an unfertilized egg divides and creates a “sister cell” which then reconnects to the egg and fertilizes it like sperm.
“Rare species, like those that are endangered or colonizing a new habitat, may be the ones that are doing it most often. Life finds a way,” said co-author of the study, Demian Chapman, to Newser.
Read the full story at wptv.com and newser.com
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