Charlotte, the stingray whose mysterious pregnancy went viral, is dead
Charlotte, the stingray in Hendersonville who became famous for her miraculous pregnancy, but who may not have been pregnant after all, has died, the aquarium where she lived said in a statement Sunday.
“We are sad to announce, after continuing treatment with her medical care team and specialist, our ray Charlotte passed away today. We are continuing to work with her medical care team,” the statement from the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO said.
Charlotte captured the nation’s attention when it was thought she became pregnant without the help of a male stingray. She quickly went viral on social media, and was even impersonated on “Saturday Night Live.”
People speculated how she could have gotten pregnant without a mate. One guess was one of the five sharks in her tank, while another was through parthenogenesis, a rare method of asexual reproduction in which a female can produce an embryo without fertilizing an egg with sperm.
But while some argued about how she became pregnant, others started to wonder if it was all a hoax.
The aquarium clarified in a statement last month that Charlotte may not have been pregnant to begin with, but rather suffered from a reproductive disease known as diapause.
Diapause is a suspended state of pregnancy in animals where an early-stage embryo refrains from implanting in a mother’s uterus.
The aquarium, which temporarily closed in June after Charlotte’s diagnosis, will remain closed following her death, “during which time our staff will continue to to care daily for our other fish and animals,” it said in its statement Sunday.
“The Team ECCO family appreciates your continued love and support while we navigate this great loss.”
