Nick Otway, Megan Ellis
Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Nelson Bay, Australia.
Zoo Biol. 2012 Mar-Apr;31(2):197-205. doi: 10.1002/zoo.20422. Epub 2011 Sep 8.
An artificial uterus (AU) was constructed from clear and opaque acrylic and life-support and monitoring systems were attached. The dwarf ornate wobbegong shark (Orectolobus ornatus) was used to test the AU because recent research has shown that during pregnancy the uterine fluid composition changes with mid- to late-term embryos immersed in seawater. An artificial uterine fluid comprising filtered, autoclaved seawater was placed in the AU. Eight, sexually mature female O. ornatus were captured from the wild and held in captivity. Subsequent ultrasound examinations confirmed pregnancy in three of these females. Six late-term embryos (three males and three females) were removed surgically from one euthanized female and placed in the AU. Their condition was monitored for 18 days before "birth" on September 26, 2008. The subsequent survival and growth of the AU pups was compared with naturally born wobbegong pups in captivity over a 140-day monitoring period. The development in the AU did not have detrimental effects as there was no postpartum mortality and there were marked increases in total length and weight that did not differ significantly between the two groups.
人工子宫（AU）由透明和不透明的丙烯酸材料构建而成，并连接了生命支持和监测系统。侏儒华丽须鲨（Orectolobus ornatus）被用于测试该人工子宫，因为最近的研究表明，在怀孕过程中，子宫液的成分会随着中期到晚期胚胎浸泡在海水中而发生变化。一种由经过过滤、高压灭菌的海水组成的人工子宫液被放置在人工子宫中。从野外捕获了8只性成熟的雌性侏儒华丽须鲨并圈养起来。随后的超声检查证实其中3只雌性怀孕。从一只安乐死的雌性鲨鱼身上手术取出6个晚期胚胎（3只雄性和3只雌性），并将其放入人工子宫中。在2008年9月26日“出生”前，对它们的状况进行了18天的监测。在为期140天的监测期内，将人工子宫孕育的幼鲨的后续存活和生长情况与圈养环境中自然出生的须鲨幼崽进行了比较。人工子宫中的发育没有产生有害影响，因为没有产后死亡率，并且两组幼鲨的总长度和体重都有显著增加，且差异不显著。
