How does this all-female species reproduce?

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How does this all-female species reproduce?

Explore the science of parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction which allows animals to develop an embryo without fertilization.

In 2021, workers at a Sardinian aquarium were stunned by the birth of a smooth-hound shark. What was shocking was that, for the last decade, the shark’s mother had been living only with other females. So, how was this birth possible? And can other species reproduce this way? Susana Freitas and Darren Parker explore the phenomenon of asexual reproduction known as parthenogenesis.

Credits:

educator: Susana Freitas, Darren Parker

art director: Petya Zlateva

animator: Petya Zlateva, Nataliya Atanasova

narrator: Jack Cutmore-Scott

sound design, original music: BigBanda Soundscapers

producers: Gerta Xhelo, Anna Bechtol (TED-Ed), Vessela Dantcheva (Compote Collective)