Under oceans and seas, there’s always something fishy going on, but recently, an aquarium located in Hendersonville, North Carolina, has even surprised scientists. Let’s explore this viral story under the “Tank” and learn about a stingray named Charlotte who got pregnant in a male-free tank.
Recently, there was a live stream for the ultrasound at the Aquarium and Shark Lab. Brenda Ramer, an executive director at the Aquarium and Shark Lab, founded the aquarium where the stingray lives. Researchers say they don’t know how Charlotte the stingray got pregnant, but they say that two male white-spotted bamboo sharks live in the same tank as her, which may have gotten her pregnant. According to AP News, Charlotte is expected to give birth to four pups and was found to be pregnant on Valentine’s Day!
Charlotte is the first round stingray to get pregnant asexually, and the reason for this is all possible through a process called Parthenogenesis. This is a form of reproduction in which the egg can develop into an embryo without being fertilized by a sperm. Scientists don’t know what exactly triggered Charlotte to use parthenogenesis.This is natural for some vertebrates like some types of lizards, bees, and ants to do this, but its very rare for a stingray to be able to do this process.
US News says that research scientist Kady Lyons thinks that Charlotte can’t get pregnant by a shark. Brenda Ramer also said she noticed a big lump on the stingray’s back, which they inferred was a tumor, but they found out later on that she was pregnant.
Sadly, the Daily Mail says Charlotte may have already lost her babies. The Aquarium & Shark Lab announced Charlotte’s pregnancy in early February, and it’s been some time now. They claimed she would give birth to her four babies any day, but it’s April now, and the stingray’s babies still haven’t been born.
As of now, experts don’t know whether or not Charlotte’s babies are still alive or not. People are upset and sad about the situation and await the results.
Sources:
