Fans Of Charlotte The Stingray Accuse Aquarium Of Sharing False Information!

Months after the aquarium announced her rare parthenogenesis pregnancy, her followers are feeling like maybe she’s not actually pregnant or perhaps something bad happened to her. And now with no new update in over a week, tensions are running high in the comment sections of the aquarium’s social media posts.

The aquarium that Charlotte the stingray calls home has been giving updates a few times a week for months so fans can keep up with what’s going on with this special surprise pregnancy. The last update given was on April 27, making some wonder if something is wrong or if they are being duped.

In the comment section of the most recent update on Instagram, someone from the aquarium shared some information that had quite a few people questioning.

“The pup is rolled up and not easy to see Rays are cartilaginous fish so no solid bones to bounce ultrasound waves off of,” they wrote.

This comment didn’t sit well with a handful of people who called the aquarium out on the misinformation given.

“That is false information – I’ve seen plenty of stingray pups on an ultrasound,” one person wrote.

Another added, “That ultrasound says 19-12-01 and they reposted it twice. They said she was preggo in Sept & the ‘proof’ was in December. This ray only has a 3-4 month gestation time & parthenogenesis does not affect gestational length. They are actively blocking aquarists & vets & no actual vets have seen her just an ultrasound tech. She is suffering & they won’t allow anyone to intervene.”

One other person shared, “As a radiology tech, I can say that this is not true. You do not need bone for ultrasound to work. Ultrasound can image soft tissue fluid or bone. Bone is not ‘needed’ for imaging.”

While some questioned the validity of the ultrasound comment, others were confused about the gestation period of a stingray.

“WHAT IS THE GESTATION PERIOD OF A STING RAY?!?!?! The anticipation is KILLLLLING ME!!!!” one person anxiously wrote.

Another asked, “Is there a risk of the pups growing too large for her to deliver? I’m really concerned for her.”

Others questioned why another ultrasound wasn’t being done, and how long they were going to let this pregnancy continue without intervention.

On April 24, Team ECCO shared a video to update fans showing Charlotte the stingray swimming around her tank normally.

“Charlotte update for 4-24-24. Charlotte is still doing well. There have been no changes in her behavior, eating, or resting patterns. Her favorite thing to eat today was scallops! Thank you all for your kindness and support!!” the video is captioned on Instagram.

Some followers are beginning to think Charlotte’s pregnancy is all just a hoax or a “publicity stunt.”

“At this point…is she really pregnant or is this a publicity stunt?” one person wrote in the comments. Another said, “I kinda feel like this is all a scam now tbh.”

One TikTok creator, @ThunderB4Lightnin, shared a video about the fact that there hasn’t been an update given by the aquarium in over a week.

“It has now been over a week since we last heard from Charlotte the stingray. The aquarium has now missed the last two promised updates,” the video explained. “They promised updates every Wednesday and Saturday, and we have not received an update since last Saturday, April 27th.”

The video went on to explain that this is the longest fans have gone without an update about the beloved stingray.

“At this point, many people are saying they feel they’ve been catfished by a stingray,” she continued. “I called the aquarium today hoping to get some answers, but they have no one answering the phones, just a generic message that plays that promises updates every Wednesday and Saturday via social media, which at this point is obviously not true.”

She also pointed out that the aquarium’s “silence speaks volumes.”

One viewer shared, “I think it sounds like something is wrong. It’s not a conspiracy,” in the comment section. Another wrote. “It was just for views I gave up it’s been a month and no baby’s yet.”

Charlotte’s pregnancy shocked everyone because of the rare circumstances surrounding how she got pregnant.

“Charlotte’s pregnancy is the first documented case of parthenogenesis in a California round stingray,” a previous update video explained. “While in a mated pregnancy, the average gestation is three to four months, there is no known data regarding parthenogenetic pregnancy or gestation period.”

When Charlotte’s pregnancy was announced in February, the aquarium first said she could have gotten pregnant one of two ways.

“One possibility is that the babies have gone through the process called parthenogenesis where the cell inside of the egg splits on its own and creates an exact clone of the mother,” the aquarium explained. “Another possibility is that she was impregnated by one of our two male white-spotted bamboo sharks that we introduced to the tank in July 2023. We won’t know for sure until DNA testing is done on Charlotte’s pups.”

Not long after announcing the pregnancy, they determined that she got herself pregnant.