The aquarium that cares for Charlotte the stingray has published a cryptic update on Facebook amid fears she has lost the pups.
Not only hasn’t the Aquarium & Shark Lab provided an update on the stingray in two weeks, they’ve also disabled comments on posts.
Fans are increasingly suspicious of Charlotte’s pregnancy, as the typical gestation period for her species is three to four months and the aquarium said in September that she was “beginning to swell.”
The last update, on May 8, also broke with tradition by excluding a video and only providing a statement that the team is expanding its veterinary medical teams to care for the stingray – but doesn’t say why.
The aquarium had promised to update the public every Wednesday and Saturday after capturing the world’s attention when it announced it was the first pregnancy of a stingray without a mate.
The Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina has disabled the comment feature on Facebook posts as Charlotte’s flawless conception continues
In a recent cryptic post, the aquarium said it had hired additional veterinarians to monitor Charlotte’s progress
People are starting to express their frustration on social media, accusing the aquarium of promoting the “virgin” pregnancy as a hoax. Expert Chris Lowe told DailyMail.com that the embryos could have died, interrupted development or the stingray could simply be too late
The aquarium has not shared any concerns about the pregnancy, but shared an unusual Facebook post as its latest update.
“Because the care of our animal family is of utmost importance, we have joined extensive support and medical teams of qualified veterinarians for additional testing,” the aquarium wrote.
“We continue to work closely with this team and will share any changes in observations or observations about Charlotte,” the report continued, adding, “Staff are devoting extra care and time to Charlotte as we continue this scientific process.”
The post mentioned the unknown nature associated with Charlotte’s pregnancy, which is uncharted territory.
Charlotte rose to international fame when she became the first of her species to become pregnant through parthenogenesis – where a mammal clones its own cells to reproduce.
The aquarium has previously stated that the gestation period is unknown. Experts previously told DailyMail.com that the gestation period for a stingray is three to four months.
The aquarium announced the pregnancy in February, claiming the stingray likely became pregnant in September 2023, giving the impression she could give birth any day.
They reported that they noticed Charlotte was pregnant when she started swelling and initially thought she had cancer.
The growth was later identified as eggs and initially the aquarium reported that she may have been impregnated by a shark that also lived in the tank – this was later debunked.
Charlotte was expected to give birth in February or early March, but as the pregnancy has lasted into its eighth month, experts have speculated that there might be a scientific reason.
Virgin births occur when a stingray has been isolated for an extended period of time and clones itself to produce an embryo
The aquarium said Charlotte was pregnant with up to four pups, but the ultrasound (photo) seemed to show only one
Charlotte’s puppies have died, according to Dr. Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University
There’s another option to consider: that Charlotte’s puppies died, according to Dr. Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University.
“It is certainly possible that the beam breaks off or the embryos have died or been reabsorbed by the female and she will never give birth,” Lowe previously told DailyMail.com.
He said it is also possible that the embryos have stopped growing until conditions improve to reach full term.
“Rays are capable of something known as embryonic diapause, where the embryos stop developing until conditions are more suitable,” Lowe said.
For example, the embryo may wait until the female has better nutrition to develop or if it is too cold to develop sufficiently in the uterus.
“This can extend the pregnancy to periods longer than normal,” he said.
Team ECCO’s latest post followed two other videos with nearly identical messages, in which Charlotte’s followers shared that she was doing well, that there were no changes and that her favorite thing to eat that week was scallops.
Some people were still not convinced that Charlotte is pregnant at all, asking the aquarium if she is indeed pregnant, and where are the updates showing off her other recent ultrasounds.
So far, the aquarium has released only one photo and video from Charlotte’s ultrasound in March, reiterating that she could have the pups any day.
As the months pass, Charlotte’s followers become increasingly skeptical about her pregnancy and accuse the aquarium of making it up, claiming it was all a publicity stunt.
The aquarium vehemently denied the claims in response to an April 27 comment from someone who said they had seen Charlotte in person and would be “extremely shocked if this was a hoax.”
Team ECCO thanked North Carolina resident Juli Gröger, telling her, “We care deeply about everything here.
‘We are constantly researching and researching to give our aquarium family the best life possible.
“Charlotte is one of our many adoptions who came from private homes,” the team said, adding, “Thank you again for visiting and for your willingness to understand our story in a new light.”