journal of fish biology

Scientists confirmed Friday in the Journal of Fish Biology that a pregnant shark who died last year at the Virginia Aquarium was carrying a parthenogenetic baby, meaning the pup had been created asexually.

The shark, an Atlantic blacktip named Tidbit, died suddenly of shock following a routine medical check-up, and during an autopsy, her pup was discovered. Tidbit had not been kept with a male shark in 8 years and genetic testing confirmed that the pup only had Tidbit's genetic material.