Charlotte the stingray has 'rare reproductive disease,' aquarium says after months of speculation

Team Ecco, the organization responsible for the now-internet famous Charlotte the stingray, has shared an update about the animal amid mounting scrutiny.

Charlotte, held in The Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team Ecco in Hendersonville, North Carolina, captured attention across the U.S. in February when Team Ecco announced she had become pregnant despite being the only female stingray held in her enclosure.

Now, says the team, it has been discovered Charlotte has developed "a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system."

When initially announcing her pregnancy, the team speculated as to a possible "stingray-shark hybrid," as Charlotte was housed with male sharks, but multiple scientists quickly debunked the theory, pointing out that it is biologically impossible for such a cross-mating to occur.

Instead, it was later announced that Charlotte likely was likely pregnant via a process called parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction that is scientifically interesting but not uncommon, according to experts.

Team Ecco did not respond to request for comment.

Expert weighs in:Could a shark have impregnated a stingray at a North Carolina aquarium?

Charlotte has 'rare reproductive disease'

The excitement around Charlotte's alleged pregnancy faded in recent months, however, as concern began to creep in for her well-being.

Stingrays have a typical gestation of four, maybe five months, while Charlotte has allegedly been pregnant since roughly November and was due in February, according to Team Ecco, meaning she is nearly four months overdue.

While the timeline has been fuzzy and the team has pointed out that this specific breed of Ray has not been historically known for parthenogenesis, experts say there is no evidence this form of reproduction would prolong gestation.

Speculation of disease being the true culprit of her condition as opposed to pregnancy soon abound. Team Ecco seemed to confirm this, at least in part, Thursday with a post on its Facebook page.

"Charlotte has developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system," the post read. "The findings are truly a sad and unexpected medical development."

The priority is a focus on Charlotte’s health and wellbeing, the post continues, saying veterinarians and specialists will be called in to better understand and treat the disease.

"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," said the post. It ended with a request that Charlotte and her care team receive "respect" and updates will be given as available.

Internet speculation puts pressure on Team Ecco

Concerns about the health of Charlotte have proliferated on social media platforms, where the initial idea of a shark impregnating a stingray took off.

One expert, Larry Boles, Director of the Aquarium Science Program at Oregon Coast Community College, told USA TODAY that he and other colleagues in the marine biology space have been "screaming" about the situation since it first came to light earlier this year.

The initial speculation about a hybrid baby immediately raised red flags in the community, said Boles, who first heard of the situation through a large email list of organizations and people who work in the aquarium and marine biology industry.

Upon reading the claims of a shark-stingray mating, Boles and others on the chain quickly identified the claim as "preposterous."

"That statement alarmed everyone with even a moderate understanding of biology, that the shark fatherhood thing. It's just, it's like saying your dog and your cat are having a baby."

He said the other situation mentioned, the possibility of parthenogenesis, was interesting but "not a scientific breakthrough" and therefore not a story that would get much attention.

"Clearly what the media turned out for was the shark daddy story," he continued.

In an initial private email response, Boles wrote back and said it was impossible to have a shark fathering this offspring, but wished the team luck in having healthy babies. He also told the team the animal needs to see a vet.

On Feb. 6, the Ecco Team posted on Facebook that Dr. Robert Jones, of The Aquarium Vet based in Australia, and Becka Campbell, PhD candidate at Arizona State University, had "confirmed" the pregnancy via ultrasound.

On Feb. 15, Jones responded to an email chain within the profession listserv on the subject, viewed by USA TODAY, clarifying his involvement and stressing that he did not endorse the shark-stingray hybrid idea despite his name being involved in the first social media posts and news reports. The vet said that he was contacted by team Ecco to look at ultrasound images, and from those images, he confirmed what looked like an early pregnancy.

USA TODAY has reached out to Jones for additional comment.

Tides turn on the Charlotte story

It was only after months of sporadic and deleted posts, inconsistent timelines, deleted comments and meandering stories from Team Ecco that the public began to cast its own doubt on the situation, helping the conversation spread across the internet.

Netizens, both laymen and professionals, have left many now-removed comments reviewed by USA TODAY expressing concerns for Charlotte on Team Ecco's Facebook page, only to have them deleted or their accounts blocked. This online behavior has inspired some to look even deeper into the organization, its animal care standards and its lack of accreditation.

Professionals who tried to point this out on social media were quickly silenced and admonished, said Boles.

"My main goal [when commenting] was correcting non-factual statements about biology, which just would not go away. I mean, people are still talking about shark daddies now," he said. "Any time one of us said, 'actually, this isn't possible' or 'actually, this animal needs to see a vet,' I probably heard a lot of us had our accounts blocked multiple times for things like that."

Boles and others have questioned the ultrasound that was shared by Ecco, self-admittedly not done by someone qualified to perform ultrasounds and diagnostic testing.

"There are these dubious ultrasounds that they've been showing," Boles said. "They're not qualified, as they say in their own videos."

Concerns about Charlotte's care have boiled down not only to social media behavior and the observations of the general public and scientists but by what some believe to be the team's apparent lack of proper professionals on staff.

"First of all, we don't know the animal's ever been pregnant, but it is displaying unusual body condition, even if we're generous," said Boles. "If the animal was pregnant, it should have delivered, so it's not having a normal pregnancy and it's certainly probably not going to deliver any viable pups. That alone is cause for immediate veterinary care."

Boles said professionals and laymen alike have noticed and been alarmed by Charlotte's body condition.

Charlotte has long since been displaying abnormal body conditions, said Boles, specifically when it comes to a loss of muscle mass. Recent observations have shown the skeletal elements in Charlotte's wings become visible, which they should not be. Sores on her back were also pointed out by commenters online.

"A biologist can look at and say this animal is in poor body condition. That is, that's not a diagnosis of a disease. It's an observation of the condition," he explained. "It's not different from me seeing a human being that's underweight and their bones are showing...I'm comfortable saying this animal is not in a normal body condition even for a pregnant stingray."

Boles said Charlotte should have begun receiving robust veterinary care long ago. In an accredited zoo aquarium, he said, a veterinary response would have come as soon as unusual body condition was observed and would result in examination including things like an ultrasound and blood draws by aquatic vet teams.

"I don't have high hopes for the outcome for this animal at this point, unfortunately," said Boles.

Team Ecco has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

What is Team Ecco and who is behind it?

Team Ecco is a grassroots program founded and run by Brenda Ramer, a former public school teacher.

According to the aquarium's website, it sees an average of 10,000 visitors annually. It also hosts a variety of education and internship programs in partnership with organizations like the North Carolina Science Network and local schools and tourist organizations.

It was started in a small commercial space and is not accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, (AZA) or similar programs, which generally require rigorous and thorough annual examinations to ensure the quality of any organization putting animals on display.

It is unclear what marine life professionals constitute the Ecco Team. No staffing details nor care team credentials are listed on the organization's website. No specific veterinarian or scientist has been named publicly as working with the organization in recent weeks.

USA TODAY has repeatedly reached out to the Ecco Team PR representative for clarification.