Charlotte, stingray whose 'mystery pregnancy' intrigued the world, dies in US aquarium
Charlotte, a stingray who took the internet by storm earlier this year when she reportedly became pregnant without the presence of a male, has died, according to the aquarium in which she lived.
The female round stingray, who was native to the southern California coast, was expected to give birth to up to four pups in late February of this year, according to the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO aquarium in North Carolina.
However, no pups were produced, and the aquarium in June announced that "medical experts have confirmed that Charlotte is no longer pregnant" due to a reproductive disease.
On Monday, the aquarium posted on Facebook that Charlotte had died.
"We are sad to announce, after continuing treatment with her medical care team and specialist, our ray Charlotte passed away today," the post read.
"We are continuing to work with her medical care team and research specialist.
"The Team ECCO family appreciates your continued love and support while we navigate this great loss."
Reports of Charlotte's pregnancy in February puzzled experts, who questioned how the stingray could have become pregnant having not shared a tank with a male stingray for at least eight years.
While some people theorised she may have been impregnated by one of two young male sharks in her tank, others pointed to a more intriguing phenomenon.
Kady Lyons, a research scientist whose graduate work focused on the species, said the surprise pregnancy was more likely to have been parthenogenesis, which is a type of asexual reproduction.
It happens when offspring develop from unfertilised eggs, meaning there is no genetic contribution from a male.
"We don't know why it happens," Dr Lyons said in February.
"Just that it's kind of this really neat phenomenon that they seem to be able to do."
The Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO aquarium said it would close temporarily following the news.