A baby shark has been born despite its mum living in an all female shark tank for the last 10 years.
The 'virgin' birth is thought to be one of the first in the world with this type of shark.
The mother has lived in a tank with one other female at the Acquario di Cala Gonone in Sardinia, Italy, Italian news outlet AGI reported.
Experts say the baby girl named "Ispera," meaning "hope" is a clone of its mother born via parthenogenesis.
Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which an egg is formed without fertilisation.
It is thought more than 2,000 species reproduce parthenogenetically.
According to National Geographic, there are two different forms of parthenogenesis: automixis and apomixis.
Automixis, which has been documented in sharks, "slightly shuffles the mother's genes to create offspring that are similar to the mother but not exact clones."
Offspring born from apomixis are exact clones; however, this form is more common among plants.
Scientists long-believed parthenogenesis to be a result of "extreme situations" - such as living in captivity without a mate for 10 years.
If DNA tests prove Ispera to be a product of parthenogenesis, she would be the first documented case of a smooth-hound shark being born asexually.
The Italian aquarium posted a video of Ispera swimming around her tank on social media, with the caption: "An incredible pink ribbon at Cala Gonone's Acquario.
"In nature, [parthenogenesis] is possible, but this would be the first case of documented parthenogenesis of Mustelus mustelus [smooth-hound shark].
"We'll keep you posted."
