Scientists find evidence of sawfish reproduction through virgin births

It's not just Jurassic Park: Scientists have found evidence of parthenogenesis in sawfish.

Researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used DNA fingerprinting to show that three percent of a Florida sawfish population was created by female-only reproduction. The findings, described in the journal Current Biology, suggest that sawfish have saved their species from extinction by reproducing without male input.

Scientists have previously observed asexual reproduction in sharks, snakes, and fish in captivity, The Guardian notes, but the new study is the first evidence of parthenogenesis in vertebrates in the wild.

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The best part of the study, though, is that the find was completely accidental. The researchers were studying the sawfish group to see if its small population size had led to inbreeding, but the sawfish were apparently a step ahead of the game. The scientists noted that while parthenogenesis leads to less genetic diversity, it could help save species from going extinct.