Charlotte the Stingray has been out of the public eye for almost two weeks, leading people to question the validity of her supposed immaculate conception.
A marine biology expert from California State University told DailyMail.com that it is possible that Charlotte’s babies have died or that she could abort the embryos.
Round stingrays typically have a gestation period of three to four months, and the Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina announced in early February that Charlotte was pregnant and had been for some time — and claimed she could give birth any day.
One expert suggests that Charlotte the Stingray could be losing her babies because she is pregnant through parthenogenesis, which means a virgin birth
The aquarium said Charlotte was pregnant with up to four pups, but the ultrasound (photo) seemed to show only one
The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina first announced in early February that Charlotte was pregnant via immaculate conception
The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina announced in early February that Charlotte was pregnant and said she could give birth “any day now,” but as time has passed, people have become less sure.
“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,” Dr. Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University told DailyMail. .com.
There are two ways a stingray can become pregnant without mating with a male, Lowe previously said.
The first is because stingrays can store sperm for at least a year, but that’s an unlikely scenario since Charlotte has been alone for so long.
The more likely conclusion was via parthenogenesis, which ‘makes it even more likely that the embryos would not survive, as this extremely rare form of reproduction – cloning is essentially a ‘last ditch effort’ for the survival of species in situations where partners are not are available. Lowe said.
‘The chance of a viable offspring is therefore quite small anyway.’
Mammals such as stingrays and some sharks can impregnate themselves through parthenogenesis, which can occur if the animal is isolated for extended periods, essentially creating a clone of itself.
The aquarium stopped keeping the public informed of Charlotte’s progress for nearly two weeks, despite promising to post updates every Wednesday and Saturday
Expert Kevin Feldheim told DailyMail.com that he spoke to the head of the aquarium last weekend, who said they are still waiting for Charlotte to be born
People have started taking to social media to express their frustration as they haven’t received an update on Charlotte’s virgin birth since March 23. Expert Chris Lowe told DailyMail.com that the embryos could have died, interrupted development or the stingray could simply have arrived too late.
Lowe confirmed that it is possible that the gestation period is longer than expected because round stingrays are cold-blooded mammals, also called ectotherms.
This means their bodies acclimatize to the same temperature as the water they live in, he said, adding: “Pregnancy is faster when they are in warmer water, and slower when it is colder.”
However, there is another theory to consider: the embryos have simply stopped growing.
“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.
Virgin births occur when a stingray has been isolated for an extended period of time and clones itself to produce an embryo
This is the first time parthenogenesis has been observed in Charlotte’s species and it is the 15th species documented overall, according to Kevin Feldheim, a researcher and parthenogenesis expert at Chicago’s Field Museum.
The aquarium said in early March that Charlotte was pregnant with up to four pups and expected to give birth soon, but did not have an exact date.
It is difficult to know when stingrays become pregnant because ultrasounds are usually performed during late pregnancies.
Last month, Mercedes Burns, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Maryland, told DailyMail.com that Charlotte’s pregnancy appeared to have progressed normally and that she expected the stingray to give birth sometime in April.
Her projection would not be like this: people waiting with bated breath for the consummation of Charlotte’s virgin birth, but if they were hoping for an answer, they might be waiting in vain.
People have previously questioned the aquarium’s reports about the stingray after it was reported that Charlotte may have been impregnated by a shark.
More suspicions arose when the aquarium posted a photo of an ultrasound scan that appeared to contain only one embryo instead of four.
Feldheim told DailyMail.com that he spoke to the head of the aquarium last weekend, who told him they were still waiting for Charlotte to be born.
“Most species vary in terms of gestational age, so I think Charlotte is just a little late,” he said.