odds and ends

Shark birth remains a mystery for zookeepers

OMAHA, Neb. -- A bonnethead shark was recently born at the Henry Doorly Zoo, but something seems to have been missing from the process -- a male shark.

The shark was born in a tank that only contained females, leaving zoo officials scratching their heads as to how one of them became pregnant.

"If we solve this mystery, it's going to make one of the most interesting scientific papers in a long time," zoo director Dr. Lee Simmons said.

The offspring died within five hours of birth.

Veterinarians conducted DNA tests on all the bonnethead sharks Thursday, but results may not be known for weeks.

The zoo consulted shark experts across the world, but Simmons said they also are baffled.

New computer makes quickie weddings faster

LAS VEGAS -- Couples planning to go to Vegas for a quickie wedding are in luck -- the process has just become speedier than ever.

The Clark County Marriage License Bureau has said "I do" to a new computer system that will speed up the licensing process and provide colorful and more professional marriage certificates.

Officials say the system will mean shorter lines where brides and grooms go for licenses.

"This is long, long, long overdue," Clark County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre told the Las Vegas Sun. "I used to see the lines out the door, down the stairs and around the courthouse."

The bureau's staff made the switch Wednesday from typewriters and a microfilm machine to computers and scanners, ushering the self-proclaimed "marriage capital of the world" into the computer age.

Exotic South American pet found outside mall

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- A quick-footed creature found running loose near a shopping mall resembles a big rabbit or a small deer, but it's actually a 20-pound rodent, animal control officers say.

The animal is a Patagonian cavy, also called a mara. It's a rodent native to the grasslands of southeastern South America -- not the Coral Ridge Mall, where it was spotted Wednesday.

Animal control officers caught the cavy, which can reach speeds of 18 mph and jump as high as 7 feet, by slowly fencing it into a cage.

At the Iowa City Animal Control Shelter, workers have been feeding the cavy alfalfa.

"It's healthy," said Misha Goodman, director of animal services. "We think somebody who owns exotic pets let it get loose and couldn't catch it."

She said the cavy is native to a subarctic climate and easily could have survived an Iowa winter.

--From wire reports