Live updates as Charlotte the Pregnant Stingray's fans demand answers
A FEMALE stingray is pregnant, but the identity of the father remains a mystery.
Charlotte, who lives in a tank at an aquarium in North Carolina, is carrying three to four pups in a 'once-in-a-lifetime scientific mystery' because she reportedly hasn't tanked with a male ray for at least eight years has shared. , according to Team ECCO's Aquarium & Shark Lab.
One explanation behind the mystery is that Charlotte, who is believed to be between 12 and 16 years old, may have reproduced herself, but other experts speculate that she could be carrying 'hybrid' shark babies.
However, Kady Lyons, a researcher at the Georgia Aquarium, shared it Associated press that a hybrid of sharks and rays is not biologically possible.
Although Charlotte is due to give birth any day now, she has gained quite a following as social media users are intrigued by the mysterious pregnancy – and fans are now demanding updates on the aquarium's Instagram page as the account hasn't posted anything about the stingray since yesterday.
“We need an update on Charlotte!” one fan asked in a recent post, while dozens of others asked about Charlotte's well-being and due date in the comments section.
According to the Associated Press, Charlotte is expected to give birth within the next two weeks.
Read our Stingray pregnancy blog for the latest updates on Charlotte…
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Aquarium announced the pregnancy two weeks ago
On February 6, the aquarium announced on Facebook that Charlotte was pregnant.
“Our stingray, Charlotte, is pregnant!” Team ECCO founder Brenda “BJ” Ramer wrote in the after.
“We have held this close to our hearts for over three months. We have had ultrasound images confirmed by two supporters: Dr. Robert Jones, the Aquarium Veterinarian from Australia, and Becka Campbell, PhD candidate at Arizona State Univ.
“The really amazing thing is that we don't have a male ray!” the announcement continued, adding that there are “a number of possible reasons for this event.”
“We hope you'll join us. It's a once-in-a-lifetime scientific mystery,” the post concluded.
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How Charlotte's pregnancy was revealed
In September, the team of Ecco staff at the Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville noticed that Charlotte was starting to swell and they were concerned that she might have cancer.
Ultrasounds showed that the stingray was actually pregnant with several young.
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Charlotte the stingray is pregnant
Team Ecco's Aquarium & Shark Lab was recently shocked by the discovery that its stingray Charlotte was pregnant in an aquarium without males.
Charlotte, who lives at the aquarium in Hendersonville, North Carolina, has three to four pups with her.