Charlotte, the famous TikTok stingray, has died

Charlotte, the stingray who went viral after her aquarium claimed she was immaculately pregnant, has died. If that sentence sounds bizarre to you, hello. Please prepare yourself for a bizarre story with a tragic ending. Another Shakespearean tragedy? No, but I guess it’s as close as it gets when the main character is an actual stingray.

If you’re not up to date on Charlotte the stingray, let me share her story with you.

In February, Charlotte the stingray and her home at the Hendersonville Aquarium in North Carolina were in the news after it appeared that Charlotte was pregnant. In fact, it appeared that she had as many as four stingray babies in her belly.

The catch? Miss Thing was the only stingray in her tank. Well, aside from her roommates – Moe and Larry, the bamboo sharks – it would have been nearly impossible for the two species to mate.

According to experts at the aquarium, it was possible that Charlotte had undergone a type of reproduction in which an embryo develops without fertilization by sperm, called parthenogenesis. It was a process that occurs in both sharks and rays in captivity. The first case of parthenogenesis occurred in a hammerhead shark in 2001. However, scientists do not know how this process is triggered.

The aquarium team was excited nonetheless. They performed an ultrasound to confirm that Charlotte was an expectant mother and subsequently gave an interview to a local news station in which they claimed that Charlotte was the first of her species in which parthenogenesis had been documented.

“We stand by that. We believe their babies were created through parthenogenesis, where the cells in their eggs divide to form an embryo that is essentially a clone of the mother.” Kinsley BoyetteAssistant Director of the Aquarium and Shark Lab of Team ECCO, told Blue Ridge Now.

Soon, the news spread like wildfire and the whole world was captivated by Charlotte. In April, Boyette told the masses that Charlotte was being pampered in heaven, enjoying a delicious meal of scallops and silverback. It must be nice to be the next Mary (aka Jesus’ mother), right?

But as it turned out, Charlotte wasn’t pregnant at all.

After three months of no stingray pups being seen, fans began to suspect that the aquarium was claiming Charlotte was having this rare phenomenon to draw attention to the aquarium.

In June, the aquarium announced that Charlotte was not actually sick, but was suffering from a reproductive disease.

“We are still trying to understand many of these terms ourselves,” said Brenda Ramerthe owner of Team ECCO’s Aquarium & Shark Lab.

“I can’t control what people think. I can only tell you what we know for sure. I never lied. This wasn’t a scam. This wasn’t something made up, but that’s what people do. People have their own minds.”

Following Charlotte’s new diagnosis, the aquarium actively worked with veterinarians and specialists to manage her condition. Unfortunately, this was not enough and Charlotte passed away.

Although it is sad news for the aquarium and all of Charlotte’s fans, we hope that the little girl was a Leo and enjoyed the attention – and extra treats – she received during her life.

Rest in peace, icon!!!!