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Sting ray at NC aquarium pregnant without access to male ray, by either asexual reproduction or mating with shark

Charlotte lives at the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, and they discovered she was expecting about three months ago.
Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO
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Charlotte lives at the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, and they discovered she was expecting about three months ago.

Officials at a North Carolina aquarium are anxiously awaiting the birth of sting ray pups – and trying to determine how, exactly, Charlotte got pregnant.

The ray lives at the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, and they discovered she was expecting about three months ago. It was a bit of a surprise because there are no male rays in her tank.

Officials say the ultrasound shows Charlotte is expecting 3-4 pups.
Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO
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Officials say the ultrasound shows Charlotte is expecting 3-4 pups.

Biologists say it could have happened in one of two ways, by parthogenesis -- asexual reproduction in which a female produces an embryo without a male present to fertilize the egg – or by mating with one of two young white-spot bamboo sharks that were moved into Charlotte's tank last July.

They won’t know for certain until the pups are born.

Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.