Charlotte's Stingray with Virgin Pregnancy: A Rare Phenomenon!

 Charlotte, Stingray with Virgin Pregnancy, Has Reproductive Disease, Aquarium Says

In February, the aquarium announced its round stingray was pregnant, despite never meeting a male stingray.

Charlotte, a round stingray at the Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, N.C.

Charlotte, the stingray known for becoming pregnant without a mate, now has a rare reproductive disease.

In a Facebook statement on Thursday, the aquarium said, “Reports show that Charlotte has developed a rare reproductive disease that has harmed her reproductive system.”

“We regret the delay in updates about Charlotte. This time was needed to gather data and analyze lab and test results,” began the statement from Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

“Our focus is on Charlotte’s health and wellbeing. We will work with veterinarians and specialists to understand this disease and the treatment options for Charlotte. Although research on this disease is limited, we hope Charlotte’s case and treatment will help science and benefit other rays in the future.”

The statement thanked the public for its ongoing support and asked for respect for the stingray and her care team as they handle this unexpected news and decide the best path forward.

The aquarium did not specify the type of disease or what it means for her pregnancy.

Representatives for the aquarium did not respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.

Who Is Charlotte the Stingray?

Charlotte has lived at Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO for eight years. In February, the aquarium announced their round stingray was pregnant, despite never meeting a male stingray.

The announcement puzzled followers about how this happened and when the babies would appear. In April, the aquarium’s executive director, Brenda Ramer, told TODAY.com that her understanding of the pregnancy had narrowed since first announcing the news.

According to Ramer, the fish was adopted from a private home outside Charlotte, North Carolina, and is estimated to be between 12 and 16 years old.

Despite Charlotte never meeting a male round stingray since arriving at the aquarium, a February livestream of an ultrasound showed that Charlotte is pregnant.

“We found out Charlotte is expecting, and it’s a strange and unique phenomenon,” Ramer explained during the livestream ultrasound. “She’s carrying three to four pups.”

Users quickly expressed their curiosity about how the stingray became pregnant. One theory Ramer suggested is that sharks who once shared her tank impregnated her.

Benjamin M. Perlman, a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach’s Department of Biological Sciences, studies stingrays. Speaking to TODAY.com, he said cross-species mating and reproduction aren’t possible in this case.

He explained that “the shape of the male shark won’t fit with the shape of the female round stingray.”

Since her livestream announcement, Ramer told TODAY.com she now believes Charlotte became pregnant through parthenogenesis.

Britannica defines parthenogenesis as a “reproductive strategy” where a female can develop and produce offspring without fertilization.