A few months back, you may recall that we covered a story about a North Carolina stingray who had mysteriously become pregnant. With no male stingrays in her tank, the internet was quickly flooded with questions about how this was possible.
As someone who graduated from college with an animal science degree, the possibility of how Charlotte the Stingray ended up with a child was a scientific mystery even to me. The Today Show reported that there were two possibilities, noting that:
“Scientists say that in rare instances, stingrays can reproduce without a mate to help the species survive. Or, possibility number two: It’s possible the stingray was impregnated by a small male shark that was placed in her tank last July.
Guys, the only way we are going to find out is DNA test after Charlotte gives birth to her pups.”
@todayshow A female stingray at a North Carolina aquarium is pregnant but has been living without a male companion. There are two possible explanations, but only a DNA test after the pups are born will reveal the answer. #TODAYShow ♬ original sound – TODAY Show
The initial story of Charlotte broke in February, but no stingray pups have been delivered.
A stingray’s gestation period is between 3 and 4 months, so we are right at the three-month mark when Charlotte should be getting close to delivery. Because of this delayed delivery, many social media sleuths feel the aquarium that Charlotte calls home might be gaslighting fans with the news of her pregnancy and that the whole thing was a PR stunt to get visitors through the aquarium doors.
Dr. Chris Lowe, the director of the California State University Long Beach shark lab, recently shared his thoughts on the pregnancy and why Charlotte has yet to give birth to her pups.
“I see them [Team ECCO, the North Carolina Aquarium team] as being really important ambassadors, and a lot of the people that keep these animals are really good at what they do, and they know how to keep the animals safe and healthy. We don’t fully understand why parthenogenesis occurs and under what conditions, and, in fact, it doesn’t look to be terribly successful. In fact, a lot of the offspring don’t do well and many of them don’t survive.”
Lowe noted that another reason for the delayed birth could be due to diapause, where the body temporarily paused the pregnancy.
“Diapause is this temporary stop of development, and it turns out that, in rays, this is somewhat common, so if the female is stressed, if she’s nutritionally underweight, she might actually put her embryos on pause. One way or the other, something is going to come out, and they may be dead, but we’ll see.”
While there might be scientific reasoning for the delay, many social media users are under the heavy assumption that Charlotte is not pregnant or that something else is hindering updates on the pregnancy. With updates on the stingray no longer coming to social media, a few content creators are also concerned that Charlotte’s environment might also be playing into the delayed birth, noting that she may be under stress.
Hopefully, Charlotte is in good hands, and her (potential) pups are safe and healthy.
@3rdtimesthecharmlosingit Replying to @Lisa Connaughton #greenscreen #charlottethestingray #charlotte #stingray #savecharlotte #jesusstingray #sharkray ♬ original sound – TikTok’s thirsty mom
