After staff noticed a growing lump on Charlotte's back, they initially thought her pregnancy was a tumor, but it was later discovered that she was pregnant. While Charlotte is expected to give birth to four puppies in two weeks, the pregnancy is thought to be caused by a phenomenon called parthenogenesis.
This is a form of asexual reproduction in which a female egg is fertilized without the sperm of a male. This process can occur in insects, reptiles and even some fish species.
Dr. Kady Lyons, a research associate at the Georgia Aquarium, told the Associated Press that Charlotte's pregnancy is the only documented example of this species.
Dr. Lyons explained that these animals do not clone themselves. Instead, a female's egg fuses with another cell, triggering cell division, which leads to the formation of an embryo.
