Picky-Eater Tiger Shark Gives Aquarium Heartburn

Virginia aquarium blacktip got pregnant without need for shark sperm

(NEWSER) - A blacktip shark at a Virginia aquarium got pregnant despite not having been around a male of her kind for a decade, the Virginian-Pilot reports. Scientists have long suspected that sharks, like some smaller vertebrates, could reproduce asexually but this is only the second confirmed case. Tests showed the baby shark had genetic material purely from its mother. More»

Endangered species conference labeled 'a disaster for conservation'

(NEWSER) - Conservationists were left fuming yesterday after a UN conference on endangered species failed to win protection for a single marine species. Asian nations, led by Japan, defeated efforts to restrict trade in coral, sharks, and bluefin tuna. The one species to be given protected status, the porbeagle shark, had its status revoked on the last day of the conference after Asian nations reopened debate. More»

New study finds sharks much closer to extinction

(NEWSER) - Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...it probably is. Great White sharks are now even more endangered than tigers, according to a new study. Researchers who tagged and tracked the sharks determined that their numbers have fallen below those of the 3,500 tigers estimated to still exist in the wild, the Telegrap h reports. Their number has dropped an estimated 90% in 20 years. More»

Aquarium stunned by surprise birth

(NEWSER) - Never mind nurse sharks: A New Zealand aquarium appears to be home to a midwife shark. A shark there bit another in the midsection, effectively giving it a Caesarean section and causing four babies to swim out of the wound as shocked visitors looked on. Staffers found four more babies tucked inside the shark and moved all eight to a tank where they would be safe from the aquarium's stingrays and other sharks. More»

(NEWSER) - Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Discovery Channel, Shark Week is back. The channel's wildly popular annual look at the predators returns next week with six new documentaries, including a look at the deadly 1916 shark attacks off New Jersey that inspired Jaws. Channel execs say they're trying to mix entertainment with a serious conservation message, USA Today reports. More»