[Jimbuna]

'Virgin' pregnant stingray Charlotte has 'rare disease', says North Carolina aquarium

A stingray whose "virgin" pregnancy made global headlines has a rare reproductive disease, the aquarium housing her has said.

In an update on the health of Charlotte the stingray, the Aquarium and Shark Lab in North Carolina said she had "developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system".

Charlotte captured international attention in February when the aquarium said she was carrying "between three and four pups" despite not encountering a male stingray for eight years.

"It's a really strange and unique phenomenon," Brenda Ramer, its executive director, said at the time while livestreaming Charlotte's ultrasound.

In the update posted on social media on Friday, the team said: "Many are asking the name of the reproductive disease, but it is simply found under that text reproductive disease.

"We are actively searching [for] more information ourselves."

They added they found studies done on a different species of stingray but none on round rays, Charlotte's species.

The aquarium closed on Saturday as the team "continue to care for Charlotte, and consult her medical team".
https://news.sky.com/story/virgin-pr...arium-13146720