Sturddlefish: Scientists in Hungary accidentally create hybrid fish

Scientists in Hungary have "accidently" bred a new hybrid of the two endangered fish, called the sturddlefish. This hybrid came into existence after scientists experimented with American paddlefish and Russian sturgeon.

The Russian sturgeon is commonly known for its eggs as they are sold by high-end caviar, whereas, the American paddlefish has a long snout, and can only be found in half of the US. Both of them are known as "fossil fish" for their ancient lineage and a slow evolution.

Both these species critically endangered and are close to being extinct. Scientists are trying to breed these paddlefish in captivity.

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The researchers accidentally used paddlefish sperm to fertilize the sturgeon eggs via gynogenesis (a method of asexual reproduction that requires the presence of sperm without the contribution of their DNA for completion). And the hybridization worked giving birth to a whole new species.

The 'new' fish hatched from the eggs and the researchers separated them into two groups.

Scientist Attila Mozsar, along with other scientists were writing about their findings in a study published in the scientific journal Genes this month.

The study marked the first successful hybridization between these two species. "We never wanted to play around with hybridization," Mozsár told The New York Times. "It was absolutely unintentional."