By Shannon Brinias

    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) -- A tiny shark named Yoko is making waves — not just at the Shreveport Aquarium, where she was born, but in the scientific community around the world.

While shark hatchlings are typically no big deal, Yoko’s birth is anything but ordinary. She may be one of the most unique sharks ever recorded, thanks to a rare reproductive process called parthenogenesis—a phenomenon where an animal reproduces without the involvement of a male.

KTBS is the first local or national TV station to get a close-up look at Yoko. Now about six months old, she spends her days in a specialized nursery tank doing what baby sharks do best: eating, sleeping, and growing.

But Yoko’s story started in the most unexpected way.

Her egg was discovered in a tank that housed only female sharks — two swell sharks and one female of a different species. With no males present, aquarium staff were puzzled. How could a baby shark appear in an all-female tank?

“Parthenogenesis is the scientific term,” aquarium general director Josh Evans explained. “It basically means the mother cloned herself — no male was involved in the reproduction.”

Though rare, parthenogenesis isn’t unheard of in the animal kingdom. It’s been observed in species like turkeys, pythons, and boa constrictors. Among sharks, parthenogenesis has also been documented in species like the zebra shark. However, in those cases, offspring sometimes experienced health complications due to a lack of genetic diversity.

Aquarium staff are hopeful that won’t be Yoko’s fate.

The discovery has sparked a wave of curiosity and research. Staff at the aquarium are closely monitoring Yoko’s growth, while awaiting the chance to collect DNA samples to confirm her origin. That testing will begin once she’s a bit bigger.

In the meantime, more eggs have been appearing in the same tank, some even attached to rocks. Aquarium workers are carefully removing and caring for them, using light to check for signs of life — like the telltale wriggling that preceded Yoko’s hatch.

“She’s growing every single day, gaining weight, and we’re excited,” Evans said. “Hopefully soon we’ll be able to put her on exhibit so everyone can enjoy her as much as we do.”

And if everything continues to go well, Yoko may be ready for her public debut just in time for Shark Week — a fitting stage for a shark rewriting the rules of marine biology.

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