Followers of Charlotte the stingray’s pregnancy are growing more impatient with every passing day, and the latest updates on her condition have done nothing to quench their curiosity.
Months after announcing that the stingray had gotten pregnant all by herself – an extremely rare occurrence – the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO has been inundated by attention from the media and the public.
Now, after her caretaker team posted two similar updates on Facebook saying that the stingray is doing well, Charlotte’s increasingly conspiratorial public has flooded the posts with comments expressing their skepticism.
While many observers expressed their appreciation for the updates and wished the stingray well, some accused the aquarium of concealing the truth about her: that she was never actually pregnant, and that this has all been a publicity stunt.
Charlotte’s caretakers posted this Facebook Reel on April 24. They didn’t mention her pregnancy, but they did say there were no changes to her behavior – suggesting that she is not about to give birth.
Three days later, they posted another similar update, which also mentioned her favorite food of the day.
READ MORE: Stingray experts explain Charlotte’s solo pregnancy
Here’s why the North Carolina aquarium doesn’t know when she’ll actually give birth.
Last Wednesday the team posted a Facebook Reel with the following caption: ‘Charlotte update for 4-24-24. Charlotte is still doing well. There have been 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 this caption: ‘Charlotte update for 4-27-24. Charlotte is doing well and enjoys interacting with guests and the divers. Her favorite thing to eat this week was scallops along with silversides. We thank you for your patience and kindness during Charlotte’s journey, have a great weekend everyone!’
The two captions are clearly not just copied and pasted, but commenters subjected the page to what has become a familiar barrage of accusations and conspiracy theories.
‘I believe they scammed the public for donations,’ one commenter wrote.
‘Seems odd to give a public update on the creature at this point without even mentioning the pregnancy,’ said another. ‘That being said, I’m gone, and left wondering if this was some misguided publicity stunt to get follows and likes for the FB page.’
Other commenters expressed their impatience with all the conspiracy talk: ‘This event of Charlotte’s shows the internet adults have really very little patience,’ wrote one. ‘And sometimes no manners.’
Charlotte the stingray is expected to give birth soon, but because of the unusual nature of her pregnancy, experts can’t say when that will be.
Certain animals are capable of reproducing through ‘facultative parthenogenesis’ in which the egg is fertilized with cells from the mother rather than by a male
‘Seriously so true!’ another commenter replied to that comment. ‘The negativity and entitlement is wild.’
The typical gestation period for a stingray is three to four months, but uncertainty remains around Charlotte’s pregnancy, including when exactly it started and when she will give birth.
Charlotte became the center of a media frenzy back in February when Team ECCO announced she was pregnant – despite not living around any male stingrays.
Aquarium staff suspect that she became pregnant through an uncommon occurrence called ‘parthenogenesis.’
Parthenogenesis is the term for an animal essentially impregnating herself – 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’s carrying up to four pups, but the aquarium has not shared details.
Charlotte, seen in February. She has reportedly never shared a tank with a male of her species, yet the aquarium said she is pregnant. It is scientifically possible, but there is not much precedent for such an occurrence.
It has not been confirmed that parthenogenesis is the cause of her apparently virgin birth, but it is the most likely explanation, given that she hasn’t been around a male of her species in almost a decade.
Parthenogenesis is relatively common in sharks and rays, which belong to the same subclass of fish, called elasmobranches.
But before Charlotte, it had not been observed in a round stingray like her.
It is the first documented case of parthenogenesis seen in captivity.
Usually it takes a stingray three to four months to give birth after they get pregnant, but there’s no road map for what’s happening to Charlotte.
The extraordinary length of her pregnancy has concerned some observers, who pointed out that something may be wrong.
But as is the case with internet intrigue and conspiracy, many commenters are likely swept up in the excitement of feeling like they are onto something.
It’s possible that nothing short of a fresh batch of stingray pups will satisfy the doubters – either that or a signed confession that the whole thing was a hoax.
Capturing the mood, one commenter wrote: ‘We’ve been catfished by a stingray.’