Charlotte the virgin stingray is growing something besides just babies, her caretakers reveal

Release time：2024-05-21 14:25:29 Source：Culture Connect news portal

Charlotte the stingray, who earned a rabid following ever since she apparently got pregnant all by herself, is undergoing a new change in her body.

The 'virgin' stingray is re-growing her dropped tail barb, according to the latest update from the North Carolina-based aquarium science team that takes care of her.

The Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO shared a new video to their Instagram and Facebook pages explaining that it is a normal process for stingrays, and it shows she is in good health

The announcement comes amid curiosity, concern, and even conspiracies about Charlotte's solo pregnancy - which some observers have argued is taking longer than it should.

Charlotte the stingray can be seen swimming around her tank in the latest announcement from the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO.

This is the barb that Charlotte dropped at the end of February. Stingrays use their barbs for defense.

READ MORE: Stingray experts explain Charlotte's 'immaculate conception' 

Here's why the North Carolina aquarium doesn't know when she'll actually give birth. 

Uncertainty remains around her pregnancy, including when exactly it started and when she will give birth.

But this news suggests that Charlotte's body is continuing to carry out its healthy habits as expected during an otherwise strange time. 

Team ECCO has not responded to DailyMail.com's multiple requests for comment on Charlotte's condition. 

'Charlotte has lived with us for eight years. During this period, she has dropped her barb several times,' said the narrator on the new video.

'Each time, she has regrown a new one. The latest barb drop was February 28th, 2024,' she said. 'Charlotte is currently in the process of regrowing a new barb, which we see as a sign of health and thriving in her environment.

The announcement appears to be intended to reassure the public, but just like with previous updates, it has done little to stem suspicions among some observers. 

It does not contain any new information about her pregnancy, specifically the health of her developing pups.

And as before, in the absence of details, rumors have swirled. 

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. 

Charlotte continues to swim around her tank as usual at the aquarium in Hendersonville, North Carolina. And her caretakers are still unsure when she will give birth.

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.

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.

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.

Barbs, which stingrays use for defense, are extremely sharp. If a stingray jabs you with their barbs, the pain is intense.

A stingray's barb is located about halfway down their tail, at the slit shown here. It usually stays folded down and kept out of the way.

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. 

'Are you sure it’s not a tumor at this point?' asked one Instagram commenter.

Others have gotten more conspiratorial.

'I have no idea how or who to contact. Can anyone let authorities know about this? At this point it's either neglect, abuse, or fraud. They haven't even had a legitimate veterinarian see her,' said a Facebook commenter.

But according to Team ECCO, Charlotte is still doing great. 

'Charlotte's behavior, resting, and eating patterns have not changed since our last update,' said the video narrator in the latest update.

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