A RARE female shark ray has died at a US aquarium as a result of a "freakish" mating incident.

The female shark ray received a bite in the abdomen from a male at the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The female, estimated to be six years old, died from internal bleeding.

The shark had only just been acquired by the aquarium, joining the Shark Ray Bay colony on July 17, a few days before her death. Shark Ray Bay is the largest display of shark rays in the world.

The aquarium was in the middle of a Facebook contest to name the female shark ray and had narrowed the suggestions to four names.

The shark ray’s mating ritual is similar to that of sharks – the male pursues the female and bites down on a front fin to hold her. Unfortunately the male missed and bit the female’s abdomen.

"This is just a very unfortunate, kind of a freakish thing," said Newport Aquarium general curator Mark Dvornak.

Aquarium staff noticed on Monday that the creature seemed unwell and had the veterinary team examine her. An ultrasound revealed internal bleeding.

All of the shark rays at the Newport Aquarium were collected from waters off Tawian. The species can reach up to 2.7 metres in length and weigh up to about 136 kilograms. The shark that died was more than 1.8 metres and 104 kilograms.

On Tuesday, Newport Aquarium tweeted the loss of their newest shark ray, stating, "We are heartbroken."



Originally published as Freak mating accident kills shark ray