Scientists from the University of Edinburgh believe that the Amazon Molly may be using genetic survival tricks to avoid becoming extinct. The species in Texas and Mexico interact with males of different species to reproduce. The fry are clones of the mother and never inherit any traits of the male. This species will soon develop problems reproducing and will often become victims to extinction.
At Edinburgh University, the scientists have studied mathematical models on a computing system to look at the case of the Amazon Molly. Researchers have decided that the time to extinction for the fish may be over many thousands of generations. They can now say that this fish should have been extinct within the past 70,000 years. Scientists think that the Amazon Mollies are still dwelling in the rivers of Southeast Texas and Northeast Mexico and are using the special genetic tricks to stay alive.
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