Team ECCO's Aquarium & Shark Lab in the US announced that a stingray sharing a tank with a male shark had multiple bite marks on its fins, revealing mating behavior.
The female stingray used to live with the male shark in the aquarium tank. Photo: Independent
The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, is investigating the mysterious pregnancy of a female stingray. Last week, they announced that the stingray, named Charlotte, was pregnant. This event surprised aquarium staff because there were no male stingrays in the tank with her at the time, the Independent reported on February 14.
Charlotte's pregnancy was discovered last September after aquarium staff first noticed a bulge in her belly and initially suspected it was cancer. However, Dr. Robert Jones, the aquarium's veterinarian, later confirmed via ultrasound that the stingray was carrying 3-4 eggs.
According to Robert Jones, director of the aquarium, one possible explanation is parthenogenesis, the process in which females produce asexual embryos without fertilizing the egg with sperm. This is a survival mechanism that allows a species to persist, often occurring in situations where males are absent, such as in zoos, aquariums, or remote deep-sea areas.
A second explanation for Charlotte's pregnancy is that she mated with one of the younger sharks, according to Brenda Ramer, executive director of Team Ecco. In mid-July 2023, aquarium staff transferred two one-year-old male white-spotted bamboo sharks into the tank. Unsure of their maturity levels, they didn't think there would be any problems. They began noticing bite marks on Charlotte's fins and speculated that she might have mated with another species.
According to Ramer, the female stingray will likely give birth in the near future. Experts will conduct DNA testing when Charlotte's offspring are born.
An Khang (According to Independent/Business Insider )
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