Charlotte the Virgin Stingray’s Caregivers Release Two Similar Updates in the Same Week, Fueling Conspiracy Theories Among Fans

Followers of Charlotte the Stingray’s pregnancy are growing more impatient by the day, and the latest updates on her condition have not satisfied their curiosity.

Months after the announcement that the stingray had become pregnant all by itself – an extremely rare event – tTeam ECCO’s Aquarium & Shark Lab has been inundated with media and public attention.

Now, after her care team posted two similar updates on Facebook Saying that the stingray is doing well, Charlotte’s increasingly conspiratorial audience has flooded the posts with comments expressing their skepticism.

While many observers expressed appreciation for the updates and wished the stingray well, some accused the aquarium of hiding the truth about her: that she had never actually been pregnant, and that this was all a publicity stunt.

Three days later, they posted another similar update, which also included her favorite food of the day.

Last Wednesday, the team posted a Facebook Reel with the following caption: “Charlotte update for 4/24/24. Charlotte is still doing well. There are no changes in her behavior, eating or resting patterns. Her favorite thing to eat today was scallops! Thank you all for your kindness and support!!”

Three days later, on Saturday, they posted another Reel with the caption: “Charlotte update for 4/27/24. Charlotte is doing well and enjoys interacting with the guests and divers. Her favorite dish this week was scallops with silverskin. We thank you for your patience and kindness during Charlotte’s journey, have a great weekend everyone!’

The two captions are clearly not just copy and pasted, but commenters have subjected the page to what has become a well-known barrage of accusations and conspiracy theories.

“I believe they scammed the public for donations,” one commenter wrote.

‘It seems strange to give a public update on the creature at this point without even mentioning the pregnancy,” said another. “That said, I’m left wondering if this was a misguided publicity stunt to gain followers and likes for the FB page.”

Other commenters expressed their impatience with all the conspiracy talk: “This Charlotte event shows that internet adults really have very little patience,” one wrote. “And sometimes no manners.”

Charlotte the stingray is expected to give birth soon, but due to the unusual nature of her pregnancy, experts cannot say when that will be.

Certain animals can reproduce through ‘facultative parthenogenesis’, where the egg is fertilized with cells from the mother rather than by a male.

‘It really is!’ another commenter responded to that comment. “The negativity and entitlement are wild.”

The typical gestation period for a stingray is three to four months, but uncertainty remains about Charlotte’s pregnancy, including when exactly it started and when she will give birth.

Charlotte became the center of a media frenzy in February when Team ECCO announced she was pregnant, despite not living near male stingrays.

The aquarium staff suspects that she became pregnant through an unusual event called “parthenogenesis.”

Parthenogenesis is the term for an animal that essentially fertilizes itself, using her own eggs to create a genetically complete clone in the absence of males of her species.

Researchers say Charlotte’s ultrasound shows she is carrying four pups, but the aquarium has not shared any details.

Charlotte, seen in February. She has reportedly never shared an aquarium with a male of her species, but the aquarium said she was pregnant. It’s scientifically possible, but there isn’t much precedent for such an occurrence.

It has not yet been confirmed that parthenogenesis is the cause of her apparent virgin birth, but it is the most likely explanation, as she has not seen a male of her species in almost ten years.

Parthenogenesis is relatively common in sharks and rays, which belong to the same subclass of fish, called elasmobranchs.

But before Charlotte it had not been observed in a round stingray like her.

It is the first documented case of parthenogenesis observed in captivity.

It normally takes three to four months for a stingray to give birth after they become pregnant, but there is no road map for what happens to Charlotte.

The extraordinary length of her pregnancy worried some observers, who suggested something may have been wrong.

But as is the case with Internet intrigue and conspiracy, many commentators are likely caught up in the excitement of feeling like they are on to something.

It’s possible that nothing less than a new batch of stingray pups will satisfy the doubters — that, or a signed confession that it was all a hoax.

One commenter summed up the mood, writing, “We got ambushed by a stingray.”