Followers of Charlotte the Stingray were left disappointed Wednesday when a video showed she still hasn’t given birth months after her supposed “immaculate conception.”
The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, shocked the world in February when it announced that Charlotte had become pregnant through parthenogenesis – a scientific term for virgin birth.
At the time, the team said she was due “any day.”
The ECCO team confirmed that Charlotte was in good health in an Instagram post on Wednesday, but did not provide additional details on when she was expected to arrive.
According to marine experts, the gestation period for round stingrays typically lasts between three and four months but can last longer depending on water temperature.
Charlotte the Stingray is at the Shark & Lab Aquarium in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where experts say she’s giving birth to a virgin.
The aquarium released an ultrasound of Charlotte’s puppy (pictured) in early March and said she was due ‘any day now’
The aquarium said Charlotte was due “any day now” in its February announcement, but has now resorted to video updates of the stingray swimming around its aquarium.
“She continues to be in good health and has a great appetite!” the aquarium wrote in last night’s post, adding, “She also initiates interactions with divers and guests, as seen in this video with diver Jacob!”
The video shows Charlotte’s swollen belly as she swims towards the diver and accepts treats from his hand.
In March, Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago, told DailyMail.com that it was difficult to know exactly when the stingray will give birth because it is the first documented parthenogenesis in this species.
Experts said it was possible Charlotte lost her babies because she became pregnant through parthenogenesis – a virgin birth – as it is a “last ditch effort” by the species to survive.
Water temperature can impact how quickly stingrays give birth, and if it’s not warm enough it could result in a longer gestation period.
The aquarium posted an updated video of a diver sitting in the tank with Charlotte as she swims up to grab treats from his hand. The post says the stingray is healthy and has a “great appetite.”
Dr. Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University, agreed that parthenogenesis was the most likely explanation and occurs when a stingray is isolated for so long that it clones itself herself.
The aquarium previously said Charlotte was pregnant with four puppies and released an ultrasound video last month.
People quickly noted that it appeared there was only one baby, not four, but it was possible the stingray was now reaching full term.
Because Charlotte conceived through parthenogenesis, it is “likely that the embryos would not survive, as it is an extremely rare form of reproduction,” Lowe previously told DailyMail.com.
“Cloning is essentially a ‘last ditch effort’ for species survival in situations where mates are not available,” he added.
The aquarium has remained relatively quiet about Charlotte’s pregnancy — aside from periodic social media posts — but Feldheim said the ECCO team leader told him earlier this month that the pregnancy was going well .
“Most species have a little variation when it comes to gestation period, so I guess Charlotte is just a little late, that’s all,” he said.
There could be a secondary explanation for Charlotte’s long pregnancy, according to Lowe, who said: “The rays are capable of what is called embryonic diapause, where embryos stop developing until conditions are more appropriate.”
He used examples that the embryo might suspend its development until the female receives better nutrition to continue growing or if it is too cold for it to develop in the uterus.
“This can prolong gestation to periods longer than normal,” he said.
