Fish Reproduces Sexually–All By Itself

Everyone's heard of selfies-but what about selfing? It's probably not what you think. A female fish at the UK's Hull Aquarium underwent the first documented case of a sexually reproductive vertebrate getting it on inside its own body. The fish is an aquarium-bred hybrid of two different species of cichlid, a type of tropical fish that's a common pet. This next part isn't for the squeamish. The female fish grew testicles and then impregnated itself by shooting sperm into the water and sucking it back into its mouth where it held eggs for fertilization.

The phenomenon, called selfing is exceedingly rare in nature. This is the first time researchers have seen it happen in a species that primarily reproduces sexually.

Although according to lead author of the study, Ola Svensson, it is a case of sexual reproduction because the fish is both mom and dad. Congrats on the self-made bundles of joy!

For NewsBeat Social, I'm Molly Riehl.