Stingray that got pregnant despite no male companion has died, aquarium says

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Stingray that got pregnant despite no male companion has died, aquarium says

2024-07-02 04:05 Last Updated At：04:10

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A stingray that got pregnant at a North Carolina aquarium this winter despite not having shared a tank with a male of her species for many years has died.

The Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville said on Facebook late Sunday that the stingray, Charlotte, died after getting a rare reproductive disease. It didn't go into further detail.

“We are sad to announce, after continuing treatment with her medical care team and specialist, our ray Charlotte passed away today,” the aquarium wrote, while also thanking fans for their “love and support.”

The aquarium, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, announced in February that Charlotte had gotten pregnant despite not having shared a tank with a male stingray in at least eight years. The pregnancy made headlines around the world and provided fodder for late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel and “Saturday Night Live.”

The aquarium said in late May that Charlotte was suffering from a rare reproductive disease, and that it was trying to find out more about the malady.

“There have been studies done on southern rays, but we have not found any yet done on round rays,” it wrote.

The aquarium announced in early June that Charlotte was no longer pregnant. The development led the facility to temporarily close to the public on June 1. In its post on Sunday, the aquarium said it would remain closed for the time being and that staff would continue to feed and care for the other animals.

The pregnancy was thought to be the result of a type of asexual reproduction called parthenogenesis, in which offspring develop from unfertilized eggs, meaning there is no genetic contribution by a male. The mostly rare phenomenon can occur in some insects, fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles, but not in mammals. Documented examples have included California condors, Komodo dragons and yellow-bellied water snakes.

Wimbledon 2024: Here’s how to watch on TV, betting odds and more you should know

2024-07-04 05:14 Last Updated At：05:20

LONDON (AP) — Get caught up at Wimbledon with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the grass-court Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is and more:

— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, ESPN.

— Other countries are listed here.

No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Coco Gauff are listed as the two favorites — both at +150 — to make it to the women's final, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. They could only meet each other at that stage. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's next match is Friday against Frances Tiafoe in the third round. It's a rematch of a 2022 U.S. Open semifinal won in five sets by Alcaraz, and he is listed as a heavy money-line favorite at -1600 to win again; Tiafoe is at +750.

This will be an all-in-all British day — off the courts and on. There's a national election happening, first of all. And at the All England Club, all eyes will be on Andy Murray as he steps on Centre Court alongside his older brother, Jamie, to play men's doubles. Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, says this will be his last year playing at the grass-court event before he retires, and he is also entered into mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu. But he pulled out of singles after having back surgery on June 22. That men's doubles match is last in the main stadium, so could start at around 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT, 1 p.m. EDT). Before that, action in the main stadium begins with a British player, Jacob Fearnley, taking on Novak Djokovic at 1:30 p.m. (1230 GMT, 8:30 a.m. EDT), followed by Iga Swiatek against Petra Martic. Over in No. 1 Court, there will be all-British contests, with Katie Boulter against Harriet Dart at 1 p.m. (1200 GMT, 8 a.m. EDT), and Jack Draper against Cam Norrie. The day's last match in that arena is Alexander Zverev vs. Marcos Giron.

Second-round winners included Coco Gauff and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who both advanced in straight sets. Emma Navarro, a 23-year-old American, reached the third round at the All England Club for the first time by eliminating four-time major champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-1 in under an hour. Seeded players who lost included No. 8 Casper Ruud, No. 17 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 26 Francisco Cerundolo. There was off-and-on rain that led to the postponements of some matches, including those involving Madison Keys, Marta Kostyuk, Grigor Dimitrov and Ben Shelton, and suspensions of others.

— Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)

— Friday and Saturday: Third Round (Women and Men)

— Sunday and Monday: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— July 9-10: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— July 11: Women’s Semifinals

— July 12: Men’s Semifinals

— July 13: Women’s Final

— July 14: Men’s Final

Try your hand at the AP’s quiz about Wimbledon.

What to read:

— Emma Navarro’s mental notes help her beat former No. 1 Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon

— Andy Murray is getting set to say farewell to Wimbledon before retirement (probably)

— Young British players boost local hopes at Wimbledon for another homegrown champion

— Even the best of the best in tennis get nervous before the first round of a Slam

— Marketa Vondrousova's title defense is already over

— Novak Djokovic wears a sleeve over his surgically repaired knee in a win at Wimbledon

— Wimbledon favorite Aryna Sabalenka withdraws with a shoulder injury

— 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova is back on tour after 10 months away

— Naomi Osaka's agency has signed 15-year-old Australian tennis player Cooper Kose

— Iga Swiatek calls herself a perfectionist and now she wants to improve on grass

— Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds are the tournament before the tournament

— Rafael Nadal is skipping Wimbledon to prepare for the Paris Olympics

— An outside review says the U.S. Tennis Association can do more to protect players

3 — Consecutive Grand Slam tournaments at which Coco Gauff has reached at least the semifinals, the longest active streak for a woman.

77 — The combined age of Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, making theirs the oldest matchup in men's singles at Wimbledon since 1971. Their match was suspended because of darkness Wednesday with Monfils up two sets to none and the score at 5-all in the third.

“Literally, like, 10 seconds.” — Emma Raducanu, when asked how long it took her to accept Andy Murray's offer to team up in mixed doubles.

“I start hearing, ‘Daniil, it’s 6-3! 6-3! I’m like, ’What are you talking about?'” — Daniil Medvedev, who sat down on his sideline chair thinking he had lost an opening-set tiebreaker against Alexandre Muller by a 7-3 score, when it wasn't actually over yet. He resumed playing, dropped the next point and that set, and then wound up winning in four sets.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis