Sawfish species has been listed as critically endangered. Factors like over-fishing and habitat destruction have dragged the species to the verge of extinction. For the first time, researchers have witnessed a series of ‘virgin births’ in Florida.

Virgin birth means reproduction without mating. Scientists said that for the first time the phenomenon called parthenogenesis has been seen in a vertebrate in the wild. Opting for this method of birth might be due to the fact that there is lesser number of smalltooth sawfish and there are chances that mating opportunities may not be present.

The researchers assessed sawfish inbreeding when they discovered seven, and all healthy, sawfish born through unique mating procedure.

Stony Brook University marine biologist Andrew Fields said, “There have been a number of cases in reptiles, birds and sharks of 'virgin birth' in captivity. This raises many questions about how common this mode of reproduction is in the wild”.

In the phenomenon called parthenogenesis, female egg cells can develop into a baby without being fertilized by a male’s sperm cells. In this process, a precursor cell divides into four cells. The one that becomes the egg cell continues to have key cellular structures and the gel-like cytoplasm and other three cells hold extra genetic material.

Researchers explained that in this procedure, one of these cells acts as a sperm cell and fuses with the egg. Smalltooth sawfish live for around three years in southwest Florida estuaries before they move into ocean coastal habitats.