Jurassic Park "Life will find a way"

[paraletho]

This all started about a year and 4 months ago. I was asked as a member of the local school board to help the school purchase, set up, and maintain an 8'x 2.5' x 2.5' 360 gallon Softie/Shark and Ray tank. The plan was to use this as decoration/furniture in the new Gymnasium/Auditorium complex and as an educational tool for the Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Computor classes. The schools mascot is the shark.

This where it was going. the original building was destroyed in 2008 by Hurricane Ike.

And this is the tank (not me my son I'm an old geezer like Paul B) (Sorry Paul but sometimes we just gotta face the facts)

 

[paraletho]

Now to the crux of the story and the title

We put some little Cortez Rays in first.

A face only a mother stingray could love.

and some of their friends

It took a while to find the sharks but we finally located two. One female Coral Catshark and a female Whitespotted Bamboo. We put these in the tank in Dec. 2010.

So it was much to my surprise when in Oct. of 2011 we found this.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Cool write up, and I am guessing thats a mermaids purse? or shark eggs? or ray eggs?

 

[paraletho]

We watched it for a week or so. Mainly as a curiosity. I mean it is two females of different Genus and species. Then more eggs so far 18 in all.

but these actually had yolks.
Whoa we have embryos

 

[cdness]

That's really cool!

 

[paraletho]

A little research and I found a relatively new discovery parthenogenesis in sharks. Here is an article by a friend of mine. I didn't even know she had written it until my research pulled it up. She also writes for National Geographic, Animal Planet, Scientific American, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com/SharkVirginBirthBioscience.pdf

 

[paraletho]

The first baby shark was a female. So there is a chance that this is the case here. If all pups that follow are female, we have a geneticist lined up to do testing on the parent and pups to prove it as such. He will then write it up as a peer reviewed article in the Journal of American Fisheries. The last two pics are actually videos

 

[paraletho]

We set up a nursery and attached it to the main system. It is a 20 long looks tiny doesn't it. Now what do we do with 5 or possiblyt more baby sharks?:squigglemouth: Aha! Donations to local public aquariums in trade for a free backstage tour for the science class.

 

[Aquaph8]

Very cool story, enjoyed it.

 

[paraletho]

Oh well I never claimed to be a shark expert. I got word today on another thread from a bonafide expert that my eggs and young sharks are not from the Bamboo but from the Coral Catshark A. marmoratus. Explains the small eggs and undersized hatchlings. Even though dark banded they will take on the lighter adult coloration at around 3 months.

 

[coral88]

Too cool !!!