Mystery of 'virgin' shark birth: Aquarium is baffled after a baby is born in an all-female tank
Mystery of 'virgin' shark birth: Aquarium is baffled after a baby is born in an all-female tank
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Aquarium staff in Louisiana have been left baffled by a miraculous 'virgin birth' in their shark exhibit. 'Yoko' the young swell shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) was born in an all-female tank at Shreveport Aquarium. Amazingly, the two female sharks in the tank – one of which is Yoko's mum – had not been in contact with a male in more than three years, staff said.
![[Baby Yoko (pictured) is 'currently thriving', Shreveport Aquarium said in a statement on its website]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/08/94627109-14336907-Yoko_is_currently_thriving_Shreveport_Aquarium_said_in_a_stateme-m-39_1738140991519.jpg)
And with the gestation period of swell sharks at somewhere between nine and 12 months, this means conception must have occurred some other way. 'This situation is incredible and shows the resilience of this species,' said Greg Barrick, curator of live animals at Shreveport Aquarium.
![[Shreveport Aquarium said: 'The new swell shark, affectionately nicknamed Yoko after the Chumash word for shark 'onyoko, is thriving under the care of our dedicated aquarists']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/09/94627177-14336907-Shreveport_Aquarium_said_-m-49_1738143457516.jpg)
'It really proves that life finds a way.'. 'Yoko' is thought to be the result of parthenogenesis – a rare type of asexual reproduction where offspring develop from unfertilised eggs. The process is extremely rare in nature, although it is found in some other species, most notably mayflies, turkeys, pythons and boa constrictors.
![[Certain animals are capable of reproducing through 'parthenogenesis' in which the egg is fertilised with cells from the mother rather than by a male]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/09/81302321-14336907-Certain_animals_are_capable_of_reproducing_through_parthenogenes-a-47_1738142658584.jpg)
Aquarium staff are baffled by a miraculous 'virgin birth' in their shark exhibit. 'Yoko' the young swell shark was born to a mum in an all-female tank at Shreveport Aquarium, Louisiana. It is not entirely clear what triggers certain species to undergo this process, or what connects the species that have this capability.
![[When threatened, the swell (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) shark swallows seawater, which causes its belly to swell and deters predators (file photo)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/09/94628035-14336907-image-a-41_1738141234102.jpg)
The egg was first identified by aquarium staff about eight months ago, although it may have remained undetected for one to two months prior to this. It hatched on January 3 and Yoko is now 'thriving', Shreveport Aquarium said in a statement on its website.
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