Ethermac Exchange-Charlotte the Stingray Is Not Pregnant, Aquarium Owner Confirms While Sharing Diagnosis

Fans who've been riding the wave around the mystery of Charlotte the stingray are Ethermac Exchangefinally getting some answers. 

Three and a half months after the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in Hendersonville, N.C., announced Charlotte's pregnancy, the organization's owner Brenda Ramer has confirmed to WLOS News 13 that the ray isn't expecting.

In an interview published May 31, Ramer told the Asheville-based outlet Charlotte has a reproductive disease and that veterinarians have diagnosed the ray with diapause—noting, "We're still trying to understand a lot of these terms ourselves."

As for Ramer's response to social media users who called the pregnancy into question and accused the aquarium of announcing it to get attention?

 "I can't control what people think," she continued, later adding, "I can only tell you what we know for certain. I've never been a liar. This was not a scam. This was not anything made up, but people do that. People have their own thoughts."

The aquarium also revealed the news in a May 30 Instagram post after a month of social media silence on the subject.

"We regret the delay of updates regarding Charlotte," the message read. "This time was necessary to gather data and analyze lab and testing results. These reports were shared with our care team. The reports show that Charlotte has developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system. The findings are truly a sad and unexpected medical development."

And the organization expressed its hope to learn more about the ray's condition.

"Our priority is to focus on Charlotte's health and wellbeing," the post continued. "We will work with, and be guided by, veterinarians and specialists to better understand this disease and the treatment options for Charlotte. While the research of this disease is limited, we hope that Charlotte's case and medical treatment will positively contribute to science and be of benefit to other rays in the future."

The aquarium first announced Charlotte's pregnancy in early February—noting on social media she hadn't had any interactions with a male ray and that it had been holding this information "close to our hearts for over 3 months." 

At the end of March, the organization shared a video in which it said "Charlotte's pregnancy is the first documented case of parthenogenesis"—a form of asexual reproduction in which an embryo develops without being fertilized by a sperm—in a California round stingray. In terms of timing, the aquarium added the typical gestation period for a stingray in a mated pregnancy is three to four months but that "there is no known data regarding parthenogenetic pregnancy or gestation period."

But as time went on and no pups were born, social media users started to wonder what was happening. And while the aquarium has faced critics over the matter, it's also expressed its gratitude for those who've sent kind words during this time.

"We sincerely appreciate the incredible outpouring of love and support for Charlotte," the May 30 Instagram post continued. "Please respect Charlotte and her care team as we navigate this unexpected news and work to determine the best path forward. Updates will be given as we are able."