February 18, 2024
A female manta who has no male companion at a North Carolina aquarium has become pregnant.
Some people speculated that one of the sharks swimming in her tank might responsible, but scientists are ascribing it to good ol’ parthenogenesis. If you remember your high school biology, that’s the process of asexual reproduction where offspring develop from unfertilized eggs.
(This reminds me of the old story in which a class was assigned to write an essay mixing royalty, religion, sex, and mystery. One student wrote, ‘“My God!” said the Queen. “I’m pregnant. I wonder whose it is?’” The story is apparently a myth, but it is a funny coincidence.)
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