SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A pregnant stingray is confusing people all over the country because she’s never been in a tank with someone! The stingray, named Charlotte, is due to give birth any day now. The Arizona Family spoke with the experts at Odysea Aquarim to break down the interesting (and weird) incident!
Experts believe Charlotte likely reproduced through a phenomenon known as parthenogenesis, which allows a female to reproduce without a male. Some animal care specialists have ruled out the possibility that Charlotte was impregnated by a small male shark that shares her exhibit – but DNA testing of her pups will tell the story.
“Parthenogenesis is something we’ve known these animals can do for a while, but we’re still learning exactly which species are capable. Science is always evolving in this category,” said Kyle Snell, an animal care specialist at the Odysea Aquarium. “Some of these species when we understand that they are capable of parthenogenesis, it has only been documented once in the history of this entire species. As far as I know, that particular species has never been documented before.”
Although we don’t know what exactly causes parthenogenesis, Snell debunks several theories scientists are exploring. “One of the thoughts is that when a female of a certain species lives without a partner for a long time, that can trigger something that allows them to fertilize themselves and continue their race,” he explained.
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