Scientists have documented in Florida a series of "virgin births," reproduction without mating, in a critically endangered sawfish species pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and habitat destruction.
The scientists said Monday it marks the first time the phenomenon called parthenogenesis has been seen in a vertebrate in the wild. Some females may be resorting to asexual reproduction because smalltooth sawfish numbers are so low mating opportunities may not exist, they said.
"There have been a number of cases in reptiles, birds and sharks of 'virgin birth' in captivity," Stony Brook University marine biologist Andrew Fields said. "This raises many questions about how common this mode of reproduction is in the wild."