RT.com
Date: 29 Dec, 2017 14:27
By: Michael Weberberger / Global Look Press
Scientists have found a shark with both male and female reproductive organs in waters off
© Michael Weberberger / Global Look Press
the coast of Taiwan.
The spadenose shark was caught by a fishing trawler in the strait between Taiwan and China in January. After spotting a pair of penis-like appendages known as claspers near its pelvic fin, marine biologists judged the 50cm-long (1.6ft) fish to be an adult male. However, an internal examination revealed that the shark had male and female reproductive tracts as well as a pair of ovotestes, an organ that produces both eggs and sperm.
The study, published in the journal Marine and Coastal Fisheries by scientists from Xiamen University in China, also showed how germ cells from both sexes were found inside the shark, meaning it could, theoretically, play the male or female role in reproduction. Intersex sharks discovered previously have had only partially-formed reproductive organs.
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