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In a new study published Monday in the journal Current Biology, Stony Brook University researchers working with Florida scientists discovered seven endangered sawfish living in two rivers conceived through a process called parthenogenesis — the production of offspring without sex or male sperm, or in simpler terms, “virgin birth.” So ladies, take a bow. Apparently we can do it all. Scientists have long known that insects, crabs and other invertebrates can reproduce without partners. Female birds, reptiles and sharks in captivity have also occasionally surprised scientists with virgin births. But until now, researchers never knew whether the behavior happened in...

It turns out sawfish actually wield their snouts like chainsaw-toting madmen On second thought, that's not entirely accurate. Comparing a sawfish to a "madman" might give you the impression that these cousins of stingrays are unruly or careless when it comes to dispatching prey with their serrated snouts, when, in actuality, recent evidence suggests the exact opposite to be the case. Truth be told, sawfish are a lot more like chainsaw-toting surgeons. This observation was made by University of Queensland Biologist Barbara Wueringer, who used chunks of mullet and tuna meat to observe the predatory behavior of juvenile Pristis microdon...

Sawfish Granted Endangered Species Act Protection WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2003 (ENS) - The government has listed the smalltooth sawfish as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This is the first endangered listing for a marine fish in U.S. waters, according to the announcement by the National Marine Fisheries Service on Monday. Scientists estimate the original U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish has declined by 99 percent. It once ranged from the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico to North Carolina, but the species is now found only in the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park. "This is an...