A large reduction of the gene pool caused by overfishing is blamed for the deformity
 |
| A two-headed catfish shark embryo discovered in a Spanish laboratory |
Matt Payton
Thursday 3 November 2016
An increasing number of two-headed sharks are being reported in the wild, leaving scientists unable to explain why.
Over the last few years, a growing number of these genetic aberrations have been discovered and examined by scientists.
Professor Valentín Sans Coma, from the University of Malaga, studied the embryo of a two-headed catfish shark in a laboratory condition alongside 800 other shark embryos.
He has claimed a genetic disorder is the most reasonable explanation for the mutation as the unborn fish were not exposed to any infection, chemicals or radiation, reports the National Geographic.
Regarding wild sharks, scientists have blamed the mutation on a cocktail of factors including viral infections, metabolic disorders and pollution.
After studying a two headed smalleye smooth-hound shark and a two-headed blue shark, marine scientist Nicolas Ehemann claimed overfishing was probably to blame.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!