A leopard shark in a Dubai aquarium gave birth without ever meeting a male. That moment of virgin birth, parthenogenesis, kicked off a remarkable career for Dr David Robinson, now owner of Sundive in Byron Bay and a researcher of leopard sharks at the world-renowned Julian Rocks.

In this episode, David takes us from curating Dubai's first aquarium to rehabilitating over 1,800 sea turtles, discovering one of the world's largest whale shark aggregations off Qatar (thanks to a sick turtle named Pearl), and finally landing, almost by accident, in one of the only places on Earth where leopard sharks still gather in healthy numbers.

We talk genetic curiosities, record-breaking turtle migrations, shark mating behaviour caught on camera for the first time, and why citizen scientists with cameras are doing some of the most important work in marine research today.

More Information

https://www.sundive.com.au/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/120106-virgin-birth-shark-dubai-science

https://www.sharkbook.ai/

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