A scientific curiosity.
A stingray living in the aquarium in Henderson, a small town in North Carolina in the United States, is expecting babies without ever having shared her tank with a male of her species, making her a local sensation.
Housed in her North Carolina aquarium for more than eight years, Charlotte began developing an unusual growth in late November.
The aquarium teams initially feared that it was a tumor.
“Her bump started to grow and grow, and we thought it could be cancer,” Kinsley Boyette, nurse and deputy director of the institution, told AFP.
Indeed, it is not uncommon for such cysts to develop in the reproductive organs of non-mating rays.
But after an ultrasound, the good news comes: it's actually eggs.
Charlotte the skate could give birth any day now.
Such “virgin births” are rare and the gestation period can vary and is not necessarily three to four months as usual.
A process called parthenogenesis
The ability to reproduce without the genetic contribution of a male has long been considered extremely rare.
In the past, this has been observed in many vertebrates, including birds, reptiles and fish, but never in mammals.
“To quote Jurassic Park, life always finds a way,” Bryan Legare of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, told AFP.
Animals that cannot mate sometimes carry out this process called parthenogenesis, he explained.
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Small cells called polar bodies, formed at the same time as the eggs and which normally disintegrate, then fuse again with the egg, providing the genetic material needed to create a viable embryo.
While it's hard to know how often this happens, one case involving a shark or ray in an aquarium is reported every year or two.
It could be that this also occurs in nature, but only genetic testing could confirm this.
Risks compared to a classic pregnancy
The risks of health problems increase compared to traditional pregnancies, according to experts.
While scientists note that sexual reproduction offers evolutionary benefits, it does require finding a partner.
“With parthenogenesis you see the benefits, you can be alone for Valentine's Day,” jokes the expert.
Beyond her somewhat unusual pregnancy, Charlotte, who is the size of a dinner plate and lives in the company of five small sharks, charms visitors with her endearing personality.
“I was in the pool with her this morning, and she was doing laps around the pool because we had a class of kids, and she really likes to be the center of attention,” Kinsley Boyette described.
According to the keeper, the stingray likes to approach windows and cuddle them.
His favorite treat is crawfish, but his usual diet consists of shrimp, oysters and shells.
This species of stingray incubates its eggs inside its body before giving birth to up to four young.