A stingray named Charlotte is the main character of her own mystery after it was discovered that she’s pregnant – with no male ray in sight. Charlotte, who resides in a tank at a North Carolina aquarium, was found covered in shark bites, an indicator of shark mating, furthering speculation as her caretakers seek to answer the question: Who is the father of Charlotte’s babies?
The Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, hosted a live video on Facebook last week during which they explained Charlotte’s situation. The round stingray, which is native to Southern California, is believed to be between 12 and 16 years old and was found to be carrying three to four pups.
And while her pregnancy has her caretakers excited, it also left them stunned.
“The unique thing about Charlotte is we do not have a male ray,” Brenda Ramer, founder and executive director of Team ECCO, said in the Facebook video. According to the Associated Press , she hasn’t been in a tank with a male ray in at least eight years.