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- Title
A new line in test-tube babies.
- Authors
Senior, Kathryn
- Abstract
The article reports on measures undertaken by Australian marine scientists to save the endangered grey nurse shark from extinction. Australian marine scientists are planning radical measures to prevent the extinction of the shark. Under the plan, a seven gill shark was artificially inseminated and monitored in an effort to perfect the technique for use in grey nurse sharks. In the next 10 years, Nick Otway and other marine biologists from the New South Wales State Fisheries Department will attempt to develop artificial uteri in which the shark embryos can develop. Researchers have found that grey nurse sharks exhibit intrauterine cannabilism; once the pups are about 10cm long, they have developed a fully functional set of jaws and teeth and they then set about trying to eat each other. Environmental groups such as the Humane Society International and the Nature Conservation Council have pointed out that on average, one grey nurse is killed every month either by shark nets or commercial and recreational fishing. Therefore, there is absolutely no point breeding sharks in test tubes without securing a safe place to release them in the wild.
- Subjects
NURSE shark; CAPTIVE wild animal artificial insemination; MARINE scientists; ENDANGERED species; SHARKS; GINGLYMOSTOMA; FISHING; FERTILIZATION in vitro; AQUATIC resources
- Publication
Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment, 2005, Vol 3, Issue 7, p355
- ISSN
1540-9295
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3868581