Scientists accidentally bred rare hybrid of two endangered fish

Sturddlefish, a cross between the American paddlefish and the Russian sturgeon has accidentally been created by Hungarian scientists.

The process was conducted by scientists from the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hungary. The study was conducted in the month of May and published in the journal Genes.

The aim was asexual reproduction in the endangered sturgeon. However, the scientists were not too sure since the common DNA between the two species dated back to 184 million years ago.

While there are no plans to produce more Sturddlefish, the hybrids could live up to another 100 years.

The sturddlefish would be infertile but most hybrid species are.

While sturgeons can be found in the bottom of seas and rivers in Eastern Europe and Siberia, the paddlefish is found primarily in rivers in the US. The two species do not appear to have previously interacted.

“I did a double-take when I saw it. I just didn't believe it. I thought, hybridisation between sturgeon and paddlefish? There's no way,” aquatic ecologist Solomon David told The New York Times.

“We never wanted to play around with hybridisation. It was absolutely unintentional,” said Dr. Mozsár, a senior research fellow and co-author of the study.

Both the species however, are long-living and are highly endangered.

The Sturddlefish was created by gynogenesis or asexual reproduction, that involves tricking the egg into fertilising itself by using sperm without the sperm’s DNA being used.