Followers of Charlotte Stingray’s pregnancy are becoming increasingly impatient and the latest updates on her condition have done nothing to quench their curiosity.
Months after announcing that the stingray had become pregnant alone – something extremely rare -, tThe ECCO Team Shark Lab and Aquarium has been inundated with media and public attention.
Now, after his interim team posted two similar updates on Facebook Saying the stingray is doing well, Charlotte’s increasingly conspiratorial public has flooded the posts with comments expressing their skepticism.
While many observers expressed their gratitude for the updates and wished the stingray well, some accused the aquarium of hiding the truth about her: that she was never actually pregnant and that this was all a publicity stunt.
Charlotte’s caregivers posted this video on Facebook on April 24. They did not mention her pregnancy, but they did say that there was no change in her behavior, suggesting that she is not about to give birth.
Three days later, they posted another similar update, which also mentioned their favorite meal of the day.
Last Wednesday, the team posted a Facebook reel with the following caption: ‘Charlotte update for 4/24/24. Charlotte is still fine. There have been no changes in her behavior, feeding or rest 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 enjoying interacting with the guests and divers. What she liked to eat most this week were scallops along with silversides. We thank you for your patience and kindness during Charlotte’s journey. Have a great weekend everyone!’
Clearly, the two titles were not simply copied and pasted, but rather commenters subjected the page to what has become a familiar barrage of accusations and conspiracy theories.
“I think they scammed the public for donations,” one commenter wrote.
‘It seems strange to give a public update on the baby right now without even mentioning the pregnancy,” said another. “With that said, I left wondering if this was some misguided publicity stunt to get followers and likes on the Facebook page. “.
Other commenters expressed impatience with all the conspiracy talk: “This Charlotte event shows that Internet adults really have very little patience,” one wrote. And sometimes manners are lacking.
Charlotte the stingray is expected to give birth soon, but due to 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, it’s so true!’ Another commenter responded to that comment. “Negativity and entitlement are savage.”
The typical gestation period for a stingray is three to four months, but uncertainty remains about Charlotte’s pregnancy, including when exactly it began and when she will give birth.
Charlotte became the center of a media frenzy in February when the ECCO team announced she was pregnant, despite not living near any male stingrays.
Aquarium staff suspect she became pregnant through a rare phenomenon called “parthenogenesis.”
Parthenogenesis is the term for an animal that essentially fertilizes itself, using its own eggs to create a genetically complete clone in the absence of males of its species.
Investigators say Charlotte’s ultrasound shows she is pregnant with up to four cubs, but the aquarium has not shared details.
Charlotte, seen in February. She has reportedly never shared a tank with a male of her species, but the aquarium said she is pregnant. It is scientifically possible, but there is not much precedent for this happening.
Parthenogenesis has not been confirmed as the cause of her apparently virgin birth, but it is the most likely explanation, given that she has not 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 elasmobranchs.
But before Charlotte, it had not been observed in a round stripe like her.
It is the first documented case of parthenogenesis seen in captivity.
It usually takes three to four months for a stingray to give birth after becoming pregnant, but there is no roadmap for what is happening to Charlotte.
The extraordinary length of her pregnancy has worried some observers, who said something might be wrong.
But as with Internet intrigue and conspiracies, many commentators are likely to get carried away with the thrill of feeling like they’ve discovered something.
Nothing less than a new batch of baby stingrays may satisfy skeptics, whether that or a signed confession that it was all a hoax.
Capturing the mood, one commenter wrote: “A stingray has caught us.”